The Tambour was a very active mining area, German trench maps indicating five craters before 1 July 1916.
As a part of the Somme offensive, the British planned to explode three mines under the ridge on 1 July, but one failed to explode.
The resulting mine craters were intended to protect the infantry from enfilade fire from the village of Fricourt. It was thought the mines would raise a protective "lip" of earth that would obscure the view from the village but the actual benefit was minimal.
178th Tunnelling Company laid three mines at the Tambour to be detonated at 7.28am on 1 July 1916, from north to south:
- G3 of 9,000 lbs
- G19 of 15,000 lbs
- G15 of 25,000 lbs
G15 failed to detonate, apparently because of damp. The two craters on the eastern edge of the surviving craterfield are probably G3 and G19. It is thought the third mine remains in position.
Note the craters are on private land with no access.
