New Research on the Lochnagar crater

There is a very interesting article on the BBC magazine about some  World War I tunnels and the miners who dug them.  Apparently the owners of the land in the north of  France have now given permission for research work to be carried out.  I have seen the Lochnagar crater and knew that some British soldiers had been buried there when the explosion was set off.  I didn’t know all of the other details, such as the fact that British miners were brought from their collieries to do the work and to live in the tunnels while they did so.  Having been through the tunnels at Vimy and knowing that the troops had to spend time in them before the assault, I cannot imagine having to spend days and days in them. It will be very interesting to see what the historians find near La Boisselle.  Bodies will be removed for reburial in one of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s cemeteries.  There is no shortage of them nearby.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-13630203

15 thoughts on “New Research on the Lochnagar crater”

  1. I’ve made a start on reading this article Sheona, I’ll read in full later, thanks for bringing it here. I have a great interest in anything relating to WW2 etc. I read an article a few years ago, about another hidden place in France, I can’t for the life of me remember the name of the place. It was where Hitler built his V2 rocket ??

  2. An interesting article Sheona. Have you read Bird Song by Sebastion Faulks? Part of the book deals with the tunnellers aka sewer rats. A great read IMO.

  4. It’s interesting that medieval methods of warfare were still being used in the 20thy century – it was always a ‘nasty’ business. My Granddad was a sapper in the Boer War and WWI. Luckily he came home and I remember him with great affection.

  5. Medieval methods maybe – but with far more devastating weaponry. Nor should one forget that for the first time Governments were able to involve every member of society into a “War Effort” – something no medieval monarch could do.

    Oddly enough I was thinking about WW1 yesterday, as the news showed the 27th Australian killed in Afghanistan being brought back to Oz.

    27 in ten years… I contrasted that with the carnage of both World Wars and other ‘localised wars of the past and thought that, perhaps, if war had not become so lacking in casualties people might not be so willing to rush off to fight in places they have no business to be.

    This comment from the BBC article brought that home very forcefully:

    Of the 1.5m total casualties in the four-month campaign, 420,000 British soldiers were killed, wounded or missing having gained just two miles – a loss of two men per centimetre.

    It would be well if we did not forget.

  6. When you visit Vimy Ridge and see how close the front line trenches on each side were to each other, you do wonder at the stupidity of trench warfare. So many lives lost to gain a few hundred yards, on one side then on the other. At Beaumont Hamel, another Canadian battlefield, the German trenches were well situated with a commanding view of the open ground over which the Canadians had to advance, being picked off rapidly. Certainly seems like “lions led by donkeys”.

  7. Boadicea, is there a reason why the “Michael Hewitt – Joe Slavko” post no longer comes up when I click on it?

  8. Yes Sheona, there is a reason, that being that I deleted my post.

    Explanatory commentary of great artistic merit cruelly and mercilessly removed by Boadicea.

  10. Bearsy :

    Yes Sheona, there is a reason, that being that I deleted my post.

    Explanatory commentary of great artistic merit cruelly and mercilessly removed by Boadicea.

    Sob. 🙂

  11. Tocino!

    Rooles is Rooles! And I don’t think the comment had any artistic value whatsoever! 🙂

  15. Apologies to Sheona for being off-topic here.

    I didn’t see the original comment but I also have a copy of the comment, which was forwarded to me by another author on this site. Thank you for removing the comment from this thread, Boadicea.

    Sentence removed by Boadicea.

    My apologies Sheona for interfering in your excellent post so much. This whole sorry affair was entirely my fault for trying to play the honest broker.

    I try to delete as little as possible, but this has got totally out of hand and I’m determined to put a stop to it here and now.

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