1918 – THE GREAT WAR ENDS
2018 – THE GREAT PEACE BEGINS
That is the vision of Lochnagar. The centenary commemoration period is officially over but the next chapter of work at Lochnagar has already begun. Yes, of course we will always continue to lovingly preserve and safeguard the Crater and to have our unique ceremonies where everyone is included.
But the role of establishing Lochnagar as a major, international site of pilgrimage, peace and reconciliation is just beginning in earnest. We owe it to the men and women who not only died but the millions who came back and suffered for years with deep-seated emotional issues and trauma and who struggled to bring up their families amidst the harshest of economic climates.
That awesome, symbolic ‘wound’ that is Lochnagar speaks to many people so profoundly about the horrors of that war and to work to channel the compassion that it evokes is a privilege. And with all the turmoil, division and conflict around us at the moment, the newly launched Lochnagar Path of Peace project can, in its own small way, signal an alternative way of living inspired by that most honourable of causes – to honour those who fell.
For those who wish to know more, then our new website carries regular updates and I expand a little on this thought in my Foreword of the new edition of Lochnagar Crater Today that accompanies this Newsletter. And of course, as always, if any-one has any thoughts or ideas then by all means contact myself or Iain direct.
