- Lochnagar mine
The Lochnagar mine was an explosive-packed mine located south of the village of
La Boisselle in theSomme "département " ofFrance , which was detonated at 7.28 am on1 July ,1916 , the first day of the Battle of the Somme. The Lochnagar mine, along with a neighbouring mine north of the village known as theY Sap mine , contained 24 tons of explosives. At the time these mines were the largest ever detonated.The explosion was witnessed from the air by
2nd Lieutenant C.A. Lewis ofNo. 3 Squadron RFC ::"The whole earth heaved and flashed, a tremendous and magnificent column rose up in the sky. There was an ear-splitting roar drowning all the guns, flinging the machine sideways in the repercussing air. The earth column rose higher and higher to almost 4,000 feet. There it hung, or seemed to hang, for a moment in the air, like the silhouette of some great cypress tree, then fell away in a widening cone of dust and debris."
Some of the British infantry waiting in
no man's land were struck by falling debris and one man, having braced himself in atrench , had his leg broken and later required amputation.The Lochnagar mine lay on the sector assaulted by the
Grimsby Chums Pals battalion (10th Battalion,The Lincolnshire Regiment ). When the main attack began at 7.30 am, the Grimsby Chums successfully occupied the crater and began to fortify the eastern lip which now dominated the surrounding ground. However elsewhere the attack at La Boisselle went badly and infantry sought shelter in the crater, particular those who had been attacking upSausage Valley to the south of the village. The prominent crater drew fire, including from British artillery although eventually it was learnt it contained sheltering infantry and the British shell fire ceased.Memorial
The Lochnagar crater still exists today. Early attempts to fill it in were resisted and the land was eventually purchased by Richard Dunning to ensure it would be preserved. The Lochnagar memorial and a cross made with wood from
Tyneside now mark the site.External links
* [http://www.friendsoflochnagar.co.uk/ The Friends of Lochnagar]
* [http://www.todayisfree.com/360/vue_panoramique_lochnagar%20crater_1.html 360° Panoramic View]
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