Entry to the Somme Centenary commemoration service at Lochnagar Crater on July 1st 2016 will be restricted to 5,000 ticket holders, organisers have announced.
The Friends of Lochnagar say the local authorities have capped the numbers for safety reasons, in particular the limited space available at the site.
Application forms for tickets will be available from the Lochnagar Crater website from October 2015.
The crater was the scene of one of the massive mine explosions under the German lines which signalled the start of the British attack on the Somme.
A remembrance service is held every year at 7.28am – the exact time of the blast on the morning of July 1st 1916.
Centenary News has been advised that many roads leading to major memorials, including the crater, will be closed to all non-authorised traffic on next year’s anniversary.
Park and ride facilities will be provided but access will be restricted to ticket-holders.
A ticket ballot has already been announced for the Centenary commemorations being organised by the British and French Governments at the Thiepval Memorial on July 1st 2016.
Lochnagar Crater, near the village of La Boisselle, is privately-owned by Richard Dunning and maintained with the support of volunteers belonging to the ‘Friends of Lochnagar’. It is dedicated to peace, fellowship and reconciliation between all nations who fought on the Western Front during the First World War.
Source: Lochnagar Crater
Images: Centenary News
Posted by: Peter Alhadeff, Centenary News