It may be just a large hole in the ground, but for many, the Lochnagar crater in La Boiselle, France means much more than that.
Created on July 1, 1916 at the start of the Battle of the Somme, many see its preservation as a great way to commemorate the gallant men and women – of all nations – who suffered in the Great War.
“Its presence remains a massive scar on the face of the battlefield; a poignant and powerful symbol of the unique horrors of that war,” Richard Dunning says on the official Lochnagar crater website (lochnagarcrater.org).
Dunning, who purchased the crater in 1978, thus preventing the French government from filling it in, says the goal is to create “a unique garden of remembrance.”
Two years ago, Fergus resident Ken Clark and his wife, Helen, were among the 200,000 annual visitors to the crater, which measures 300 feet across and 90 feet deep.
“It was an amazing site, quite frankly,” Clark said. “I was in awe, really.”
Every July 1 a memorial service is held at the site, which Clark said is quite moving. One of the main reasons he is so interested in World War I history is his father, Sgt. Robert Jesse Clark, fought in the war and twice was wounded.
Robert Clark joined the army at a young age in August of 1915 and by October he was shipped to England. There he joined the 26th Battalion, out of New Brunswick.
To recognize the efforts of brave men like his father, Clark and his wife visited many historic battlefields and cemeteries during their 2008 trip to Europe. But something about the Lochnagar crater still resonates with him to this day.
The Lochnagar mine, dug by Allied experts under enemy territory, was the largest of 17 mines exploded at 7:28am on July 1 at the start of the Battle of the Somme, which lasted until Nov. 18 and was one of the most costly battles of the Great War.
The mine was packed with 27,216 kilograms of ammonal in two charges set 18 metres apart and 16 metres below the surface. According to the crater website, the explosions constituted what was then the loudest man-made sound in history.
Cecil Lewis, an officer in the Royal Flying Corps who witnessed the explosion from his aircraft high above La Boisselle, reported that debris rose some 1,200 metres (4,000 feet) into the air. The explosion obliterated between 91 and 122 metres of the German dug-outs, thought to have been full of German troops.
Some estimate the total Allied casualties in the Somme battle at almost 624,000 – including over 24,000 Canadians and a large contingent of Newfoundlanders – of which over 145,000 were missing or dead. The Germans suffered about 465,000 casualties, with 164,000 missing or dead and 31,000 taken prisoner.
These figures make the battle one of the deadliest ever. As German officer Friedrich Steinbrecher once wrote, “Somme. The whole history of the world cannot contain a more ghastly word.”
But the statistics and poetic sentiments may never compare to actually being there, even after the fact.
“When you stand beside that crater … you wonder what really happened that day,” Clark said.
