Lochnagar Crater, one of the huge mines which were exploded by the British during the Somme, 1916.
One of the Western Front’s great journeys is a visit to the Lochnagar Crater in La Boisselle, a huge hole which is now the subject of a wider investigation called the La Boisselle Project. It is also a central site of the Battle of the Somme, which was responsible for the greatest single loss of life of our Wokingham men. The story of the tunnelling and mining which took place during the war, has captured our imagination and now appears regularly on TV. Tomorrow night the story receives another airing and it will be well worth watching on BBC 4 at 9pm – Monday 19th May. There are a couple of links above and the following superb video can also be seen (with others) on www.laboisselleproject.com There is another aspect to this project and that is the enthusiasm which exudes from the very approachable Banning brothers, Jeremy and Mark. If you click on the Lochnagar Crater link, you will also find out about another engaging character, Richard Dunning who purchased the crater in the seventies in order to protect its memory and significance to British culture.
Finally, last year we wrote a piece on Sebastian Faulkes’ ‘Birdsong’ and including some stories from the men who experienced this haunting aspect of the war.