A resource for military historians, genealogists, and others with an interest canadian participation in the great war of 19141918 also referred to as world war 1, or the first world war. After commanding v corps at the second battle of ypres in april 1915, he took command of the second army in may 1915 and in june 1917 won an overwhelming victory over the german army at the battle of messines, which started with the simultaneous explosion of a series of mines placed by the royal engineers tunnelling companies beneath german lines, which created 19 large craters and was. Background edit german defences on the ancre, winter 19161917 edit. The battle of messines nzhistory, new zealand history online. The force fielded several combat formations on the western front in france and belgium, the largest of which was the canadian corps, consisting of four divisions.
Messines ridge new zealand memorial, messines ridge british cemetery, belgium awmm marlborough war memorial, 20 seymour street, blenheim, 7201 awmm seddon district war memorial, cnr of mills and wakefield st, seddon, 7210 awmm. The battle of langemarck 1618 august 1917 was the second anglofrench general attack of the third battle of ypres, during the first world war. Eloi and eventually find yourself entering the lille gate at ypres ieper, and the view above looks west towards, not much more than half a mile. The area around ypres first became important to the war in the autumn of 1914. Charles frederick alison 23940, alfred edward alison 2153 and harold alexander alison 24862. In fact, the explosions underneath the german trenches were the most powerful in history at that time. The attack brought together all the commonwealth forces.
It was open on the site of the german positions, marked as oyster trench on the british trench maps. The german army occupied messines at the end of the first battle of ypres in november 1914 and remained in possession of the village until the battle of messines in june 1917. In the aftermath of the first battle of the marne, it was decided to move the bef back north to flanders, to shorten its supply lines back to the channel ports. Join a curator from the military heraldry and technology team to find out more about australias role in this event and explore some related objects.
Artillery operations of the ninth british corps at messines, june, 1917 classic reprint united states army war college on. The 5,547 deaths among new zealand military personnel in 1917 was more than for any other year of the first world war. The canadian expeditionary force cef was the designation of the field force created by canada for service overseas in the first world war. Messines ridge cemetery is located along the road that leads to the town of wulvergehem. Battle of messines history of world war i ww1 the great war. Battle of messines 1917 ww1 world war one ieper 1917. On 7 june 1917 the allies detonated 19 mines around messines, belgium, in one of the largest explosions in history. Views of messines mesen township the town square and one of the main streets. It has been argued that the battle of messines was the most successful local operation of the war, certainly of the western front. Jun 07, 2012 today we continue with fr doyles narrative on the battle for messines ridge with the events that occurred on june 7 1917. The new zealanders secured their objectives and the battle was considered a great victory. Canadian tunnellers at messines ridge 19161917 scholars. The battle of messines 714 june 1917 was an attack by the british second army general sir herbert plumer, on the western front near the village of messines in west flanders, belgium, during the first world war.
The village of wytschaete captured on june 7, 1917, by the 16th irish and 36th ulster division. May 03, 2014 precipitated by the detonation of 19 enormous mines under the german front lines made famous in the australian feature film beneath hill 60 video footage courtesy of australian war memorial. The battle of messines, june 1917 village of wytschaete captured on 7th june 1917 by the 16th irish and 36th ulster division. Shells bursting in a valley near messines, june 7, 1917.
The latter goes into great depth pun intended on the tunneling effort as well as modern archeology on some of the sites. One them was the 1917 assault on messines ridge near ypres. The battle of messines ridge 7 june 1917 remembering fr. Battle of messines june 1917 by the middle of may 1917 preparations for the great attack on the messines ridge were everywhere in progress. The french first army had a big success on the northern flank from bixschoote to drie grachten and the british gained a. The french part of the offensive was intended to be strategically decisive by breaking through the german defences on the aisne front within 48 hours, with casualties expected to be around 10,000 men. The big dig will be broadcast on channel 5 tonight at 8pm.
The german official history used the term third flanders battle german. It had to be captured if the british were to break out of the salient. It began on 7 june 1917 when the british second army under the command of general herbert plumer launched an offensive near the village of mesen messines in west flanders, belgium. The canadian cavalry brigade and the canadian independent force, which were. Indeed, a third of the deaths in the whole war occurred in this year 33. The duties of army, corps and divisions in planning attacks were standardized.
Some 10% of the then one million inhabitants saw action overseas. Excerpt from artillery operations of the ninth british corps at messines, june, 1917 practice barrages were carried out along the whole of the second army front on june 3. The battle of messines 714 june 1917 was an offensive conducted by the british second army, under the command of general sir herbert plumer, on the western front near the village of messines in west flanders, belgium, during the first world war. Jun 07, 20 on june 7, 1917, the british 2nd army had a crushing victory over the germans at messines ridge in belgian west flanders, marking the successful prelude to an allied offensive designed to break the grinding stalemate on the western front in ww1i. Battle of messines ridge 1917 worcestershire regiment.
The 1917 battle was the first substantial allied victory of the first world war, putting into practice the lessons learned over the years of stalemate on the western front. Operations on the ancre, january march 1917 military. Mid this article has been rated as midimportance on the projects importance scale. Hi, i am searching for the names and rank of various commanding officers who lead their companies and battalions in to action at messines in june 1917.
Advanced dressing station at messines alexander turnbull library, 12012773g the battle of messines during the first world war was a prelude to the much larger third battle of ypres. The messines offensive was a preparatory step to the larger 1917 3rd ypres offensive, known as passchendaele. In contrast to the eventual disaster at passchendaele, the carefully prepared attack on. Dec 30, 2019 messines ridge cemetery is located along the road that leads to the town of wulvergehem. The plug street project the history of the battle of. Charles alison was one of three brothers who enlisted to fight in world war i. Here, remembrance of the first world war doesnt stop. Additional roads were being constructed, light railways were being built to bring up stores and ammunition.
Plumer had begun plans to take the position a year earlier and authorized the laying of 22 mine shafts underneath german lines all along the ridge. Ga this article has been rated as gaclass on the projects quality scale. The germans and the allies tried to outflank each other in a series of moves that took the conflict ever further north. Th e min es, secretly planted by british tunnelling units, created 19 large craters and are estimated to have. Centenary of battle of messines ridge to be marked by ukirish ceremony messines was the first occasion during the first world war when soldiers from the 36th ulster division and 16th irish. The plug street project the history of the battle of messines. The map is taken from an educational handout, the author and printer were not stated. Its goal was to seize the whole of the messines ridge, securing the.
On june 7, 1917, the british 2nd army had a crushing victory over the germans at messines ridge in belgian west flanders, marking the successful prelude to an allied offensive designed to break the grinding stalemate on the western front in ww1i. It was a day of devastating losses for the german side. The capture of messines ridge was a preliminary operation that took place just prior to the battle of passchendaele third battle of ypres. Artillery operations of the ninth british corps at messines. Dritte flandernschlacht 2 and the french the second battle of flanders. Australian infantry fought near messines village, while to the north at hill 60 nearer to ypres australian tunnellers played a vital role in the detonation of some of a series of huge mines beneath the enemys trenches. The battle of messines was a battle of the western front of the first world war. Today we continue with fr doyles narrative on the battle for messines ridge with the events that occurred on june 7 1917. Commanding officers at messines 1917 soldiers and their. The battle of messines 714 june 1917 was an attack by the british second army general. Media in category mines in the battle of messines 1917 the following 19 files are in this category, out of 19 total. Ridge and south messines ridge although the heights are measured only. The training manual ss 5 replaced ss 109 of 8 may 1916 in december 1916 and marked a significant step in the evolution of the british expeditionary force bef into a homogeneous force, well adapted to its role on the western front.
New zealand s peak year for wartime mortality burden. By the end of 1916 the german defences on the south bank of the ancre valley had been pushed back from the original front line of 1 july 1916 and were based on the sites of fortified villages, connected by networks of trenches, most on reverse slopes sheltered from observation from the south and obscured from the north by. The battle of passchendaele or third battle of ypres or passchendaele was a campaign of the first world war, fought by the british and their allies against the german empire. The battle of messines during the first world war was a prelude to the much larger third battle of ypres. From the formation of the australian corps in november 1917 to.
Anzacs, canadians, irish and many of the british divisions, famous for actions on the somme the previous summer. Meticulously planned, the action started on the 7 th of june with the detonation of huge underground mines that rattled the teacups in london and killed 10,000 german soldiers. Wounded soldiers on stretchers under an awning near messines, june 7, 1917. The assault on passchendaele was part of a vast allied offensive launched in mid1917, which, for new zealanders, started with the battle for messines. The battle of messines 714 jun e 191 7 was an attack by the british second army general sir herbert plumer, on the western front near the village of messi nes in west flanders, belgium, during the first world war. Between 714 june 1917, the british second army under general sir herbert plumer planned an offensive to take the messines ridge to the south east of ypres. The village stayed in good condition, but with every building damaged or partially destroyed, until june 1917 when the preliminary bombardment for the attack of the. Precipitated by the detonation of 19 enormous mines under the german front lines made famous in the australian feature film beneath hill 60 video footage courtesy of australian war memorial. Sintelooi the french st eloi is commonly used in english is a village about 5 km 3. Messines is a town on a low ridge that was a strategic part of the german line in the southern part of the ypres salient. These mines had been tunnelled as much as a year before and ranged in size from more than 30,000 lbs to over 96,000 lbs of explosive. Battle of messines nzhistory, new zealand history online. Centenary of battle of messines ridge to be marked by uk.
It was the sort of mobile warfare the commanders had expected. The enemy must not get the messines ridge at any price so read the orders to german troops defending the vital high ground south of. By the end of 1916 the german defences on the south bank of the ancre valley had been pushed back from the original front line of 1 july 1916 and were based on the sites of fortified villages, connected by networks of trenches, most on reverse slopes sheltered from observation from the south and obscured. Visit flanders to mark the battles of messines and. To get your bearings, messines now mesen itself sits at the southern end of the ridge, about a mile and a half south of wytschaete, if you continue north you will pass through the village of st. Operations on the ancre, january march 1917 military wiki.
It contains the graves of 1500 men who fell in messines in 191718. Carried out by general herbert plumers second army, it was launched on 7 june 1917 with the detonation of 19 underground mines underneath the german mines. A significant part of the british plan was the laying of 22 mines that would be detonated at the same time under the german positions before infantry would take the ridge. This book provides a history of all battles that raged over messines ridge wytschaete st eloi ypres from 1914 through to 1918. At the start of the battle of messines 714 june 1917 during the first world war, a series of underground explosive charges were detonated by the british army.
The australian 3rd and 4th divisions had participated in the spectacular attack on 7 june 1917 that saw the british capture messines ridge, and were involved in the fighting that raged in the weeks. A summary of the battle of messines from june 7 to 14, 1917. If this book wets your appetite for more information on messines, i heartily recommend passinghams pillars of fire. It contains the graves of 1500 men who fell in messines in 1917 18. Admitted by the germans to be a masterstroke, the devastating blasts caused 10,000 soldiers to later be posted simply as missing. Messines was a baptism of fire for the 3rd division which came into the line alongside the battlescarred 4th australian division, badly mauled at bullecourt just six weeks earlier. The historical context of the first world war amersham museum. Aug, 2009 hi, i am searching for the names and rank of various commanding officers who lead their companies and battalions in to action at messines in june 1917. Battle of messines 1917 is within the scope of wikiproject australia, which aims to improve wikipedia s coverage of australia and australiarelated topics. Coleridge richmond online cenotaph auckland war memorial. General herbert plumers second army, on 7 june 1917, attacked messines ridge, a natural stronghold southeast of ypres and a german salient since late 1914.
Charles frederick alison online cenotaph auckland war. New zealand sites in flanders fields during the great war, some 100 000 people from new zealand enlisted in the army. Battle of messines in june 1917 and the two battles of ypres in october 1917. The nivelle offensive 16 april 9 may 1917, was a francobritish operation on the western front in the first world war. The british battle nomenclature committee called the flanders offensives of 1917 the battle of messines 1917 from 714 june and the battles of ypres 1917 from 31 july 10 november. I would appreciate any contributions to this and preferably the source of the information for any of the following. During 1917, allied hopes of a decisive breakthrough on the western front were repeatedly raised, then dashed. The battle of messines, 12 october2 november 1914, was part of the race to the sea, the series of battles that decided the line of the western front.
Ww1 battle of messines leger holidays battlefield tours. At the start of the battle of messines 714 jun e 1917 during the first world war, a series of underground explosive charges were detonated by the british army beneath german lines near the village of mesen messine s in french, historically used in english, in belgian west flanders. This week the programme really goes underground as it looks at the dugouts, tunnels and mining system which was part of the messines battlefield. Visit flanders to remember those who fought and died in flanders fields and explore the regions fascinating cities and culture. The battle took place near ypres in belgian flanders, on the western front against the german 4th army. The battle of messines ridge june 1917 and beneath flanders fields. Battle of messines, 714 june 1917, british victory during world war i. The australians first spent time in the area around messines in the fighting before the third battle of ypres.
Battle of passchendaele third battle of ypres part of the western front of the first. Jul 29, 20 to get your bearings, messines now mesen itself sits at the southern end of the ridge, about a mile and a half south of wytschaete, if you continue north you will pass through the village of st. At 0310 hours on 7 june 1917, the predawn gloom on the western front was shattered by the pillars of fire the rapid detonation of 19 huge mines, secreted in tunnels under the german lines and containing 450 tonnes of explosives. A tour of the messines ridge part one wytschaete military. Battle of messines about australains at the battle of. Highexplosive mines placed under the german lines were used to devastating effect, and the blast from the explosions could be.
The british dug six galleries under no mans land, placed large. The fighting at messines would descend into unimaginable savagery, a lethal and sometimes handtohand affair of bayonets, clubs, bombs and incessant machinegun. Some 17 000 new zealanders were killed and 41 000 were wounded during the war a 58% casualty rate, far beyond the average. The western front of 191418 is characterised by a continual series of bloody stalemates, but the battle of messines was a relatively rare example of a successful offensive. Excerpt from artillery operations of the ninth british corps at messines, june, 1917 practice barrages were carried out along the whole of the second army front on june 3 and 5. If you would like to participate, visit the project page. The actions of st eloi craters from 27 march to 16 april 1916, were local operations in the ypres salient of flanders, during the first world war by the german 4th army and the british second army. Messines ridge new zealand memorial, messines ridge british cemetery. The entente strategy was to conduct offensives from north to south, beginning with an attack by the british. Lance corporal alison was the son of duncan donald tobias alison and emma alison, 47 king edward parade, devonport, auckland. The zenith of siege warfare campaign alexander turner, peter dennis on. The battle took place on the western front, between july and november 1917, for control of the ridges south and east of the belgian city of ypres in west flanders, as part of a strategy decided by the allies at. Meticulously planned, the action started on the 7 th of june with the detonation of huge underground mines that rattled the teacups in london and killed 10,000 german soldiers the new zealanders secured their objectives and the battle was considered a great victory. In contrast to the eventual disaster at passchendaele, the carefully prepared attack on messines was a striking success.