Cratère de Lochnagar

The Cratère de Lochnagar, an impressive war memorial, was created by a huge mine blown up by the British Royal Engineers on 1 July 1916, as part of the Battle of the Somme. The explosion marked the beginning of the battle and left a crater 90 metres in diameter and 25 metres deep.
Interestingly, the crater was named after Lochnagar Street, the trench from which the tunnel was dug. The crater is now a preserved site of remembrance and a religious service is held there every year on 1 July in memory of those who died.

Lochnagar Crater is the largest man-made World War I mine crater on the Western Front, created by a massive explosion that marked the start of the Battle of the Somme in 1916. You can tour the crater on a walk , discover history through information panels and pay tribute to the men and women who suffered during the Great War. The Lochnagar Crater Foundation organizes annual commemoration ceremonies and maintains the site as a memorial.

The Lochnagar crater was named by the British in reference to the "Lochnagar Trenches" behind it, which were named after the Scottish mountain Lochnagar. From these, the tunnel was dug at a depth of about 16 meters under the German position "Schwabenhöhe", which was held by the Reserve Infantry Regiment 110 of the 28th Reserve Division (Baden). The 185th Tunneling Company had begun tunneling work on November 11, 1915. In March 1916, the 179th Tunneling Company took over and completed the tunnel. 26.8 tons of ammonal explosives were placed in two chambers connected by Y-shaped corridors. The Lochnagar mine blast is believed to be the largest human warfare explosion to date.