Lochnagar Crater WW1

Incredible blast site from WWI. Lots of plaques, information boards, a cross to commemorate the 57000 men that died on the first day of this battle to push back the Germans out of France.

This looks like the gate to hell and at the time the young soldiers must of thought the same. The shear size of it is so unbelievable. All the information around it as you walk around definitely puts a lump in your throat. Can't wait to revisit it with my family. Rest in peace to all

Stayed at an air bnb nearby and the owner was kind enough to give us a tour of the crater. Thank you for all the people who take care of the site, which is privately owned. It’s a historic site for the battle of the Somme. So many died here during WW1 in 1916. Many are buried here too.

Literally mind blowing (!) to walk around the crater that exploded in the mid of the German trench line system on 1 July 1916. Nice info panels with small details I never heard of. Excellent view on the Becourt woods from where the tunneling originated and from where the British walked into devasting fire sent from the crater side once the Germans recovered from the blast. Never knew that the British reached and fought in the crater and that the crater still may contain missing soldiers. In the background you can see the goal of that day: Pozières Ridge which was never reached or seized that day. And you can see the little town Ovillers-la-Boisselle (20+ houses) which of course was already completley levelled on that day.

You can but fail to be awed by the magnitude of the explosion that caused this crater. They say the German soldiers here were simply vaporized due to the explosion! But you cannot say that you enjoyed it, because of the horrors of what occurred here! But it is a fitting memorial where you can take a moment to reflect on the futility of the First World War!

WWI Crater built by the British under German lines where an almighty explosion prefaced the opening of 1916 Battle of the Somme. Free to enter.

When you walk around and read all the stories from many who were there and what war was like the sheer scale of lives wasted is inconprehensible,such a sad place where some will never be layed to rest and as 1 person said..it was a family squabble.Sad,sad time for all.

Very sobering. To stand at the site you begin to understand how large an explosion it was, to alter the landscape so. The mine was exploded at 7:28 a.m. on 1 July 1916 and left a crater 69 ft (21 m) deep and 330 ft (100 m) wide. You will benefit greatly by reading the history of what happened here before you visit

As you wander around the Western Front you will occassionally come across these huge craters. Onkay, the weather has worn a lot of them down, but many of them are so deep that they have basically become a part of the landscape. Many of them were created by soldiers tunnelling under the ground and the packing the area with huge amonts of explosives, and then setting them off. The sad thing is that despite all of the effore they rarely did any good at all. However, a number of these craters have been left to the ravages of time, while others are preseved, such as this one, as a memorial to the horrors of war.