The Lochnagar Competition received many entries during 2016, due to it being the centenary year. The quality was very good, even exceptionally good. The majority were prose or poetry, plus pictures.... read more →
Apr
10
Apr
07
We all know the Crater is far more than simply a hole in the ground. As well as being a huge scar in the landscape and symbol of the violent destructive power of war, it is also now a place of calm and tranquility, drawing in many Pilgrims and visitors... read more →
Apr
05
Receiving the MBE was, I have to say, a surprising and thoroughly pleasurable experience (and speak-ing as a cynical old adman!). So profound thanks to Clive, Iain, Martin, Tim and all the others who helped make it happen. Three... read more →
Apr
01
Recognise it? It’s Lochnagar Crater as you’ve never seen it before – a model in an animated movie made by young people to mark the centenary of the Battle of the Somme. The short film is called Somme Tales and it was produced as part of the centenary commemorations by... read more →
Apr
01
It must be said that the Armistice Day commemorations at Ovillers and La Boisselle are very special occasions for all who have the good fortune to attend. 2016 was no exception with many Friends having met for an enjoyable dinner the evening before at Corners Pub in Albert where final... read more →
Mar
01
One of the rewards of battlefield research is how it’s relatively common to stumble on a piece of information, often in the most unlikely of places, which leads to a fresh trail of discovery. This happened to me when my wife and I called in at a wonderfully idiosyncratic bookshop... read more →
Feb
01
There can’t be many World War One veterans who won a Military Medal for bravery, went on to become a Prime Minister, then to become an ‘Official Hero’, and to have an international airport named after him. That’s what happened... read more →
Feb
01
‘The aftermath of an earthquake!’ Do the words express the reality before us as we move along the mile of road between Albert and La Boisselle! Hardly. The earth-shudder that visits a volcanic district may topple towns and villages into ruins in a few minutes. It does not tear and... read more →
Feb
01
Most of the memorials you’ll see as you walk round Lochnagar Crater are for men who fought in the First World War. But we also remember that women took part in the struggle too, many on the Home Front and others who served as nursing staff. Women who tended for... read more →
Feb
01
Looking back, it’s now very hard to untangle the hundreds of different trips to the Somme. The first one is easy to remember as is the last. The hundreds in-between, less so. There has, though, always been one single thread in every trip, no matter... read more →