Jun 01

Every plaque tells a story

Pause as you view the Crater from the wooden walkway. Beneath your feet, you'll find small plaques bearing names. Each name was a husband, son, brother, father or uncle, or - in rare cases - a daughter, mother, wife, aunt or sister. And each one reaches across the generations. For... read more →
May 05

Harry Fellows: Reflections of a Veteran

Harry Fellows was born on the 5th May 1896, the son of a Nottingham coal miner. His mother had been in domestic service until she married. In Harry's youth, the principal industries in Nottingham were Raleigh Cycles, John Player Cigarettes and coal mining. Times of course were hard, but as... read more →
May 01

Crater Prize

Many people associate the First World War with poetry, and Lochnagar Crater Today is no exception. In this, our first edition, we publish a poem called Looking Back, written by Tait Jones, from Surbiton High School. She was 14 when she entered it in the Lochnagar Prize competition. She read... read more →
Apr 15

The Annual May Bank Holiday Weekend

Those keen calendar-watchers amongst us will know the 2017 working weekend is fast approaching. This year it falls between Friday 26th and Monday 29th May, folk generally arriving in the late morning or midday but by no means to a strict timetable! As always, everyone is welcome at this most... read more →
Apr 10

Our Schools Prize

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 07
Apr 05

A Word about You-know-what

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

Lochnagar Crater in Somme Tales

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

Armistice Day on the Somme

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

How one thing leads to another

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 →