MESSINES RIDGE: YPRES PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Peter Oldham | 141 pages | 04 Jan 2001 | Pen & Sword Books Ltd | 9780850526240 | English | Barnsley, United Kingdom Ypres Salient Battles It was however recovered in time for it to be blown as planned at 3. The mine was 88 feet deep and contained 91, lbs of ammonal. Once it was blown, the crater was feet wide with a 90 feet wide rim , and 40 feet deep. The crater was purchased in by Toc H and has been preserved. Towards the north-east of the crater, the protruding remains of a bunker can be seen. This was most likely a German bunker. Presumably, as it is located just beyond the edge of the rim of the crater this bunker only just escaped being blown sky-high years ago! Across the road from Spanbroekmolen, a concrete path by a farm leads past a duck pond to the small Lone Tree Cemetery. This cemetery contains 88 burials six of whom are unknown. The soldiers buried here are mainly from the Royal Irish Rifles, killed on the 7th of June , some by the explosion of the Spanbroekmolen mine which was blown around 15 seconds later than planned as they advanced. The views to the south and east from this cemetery are stunning, and reinforce the advantage the Germans had from this higher ground. Mount Kemmel can be seen, and also several churches including that of Wulvergehem to the south. Lone Tree is one of the most beautiful cemeteries, and one of my favourite spots in the Salient. This cemetery is north-east of Spanbroekmolen. It can be reached on foot by following the path across fields from the rear of the Spanbroekmolen site. By car, return the way you came to the left turn just before the crossroads. Take this left turn and then take the next turn to the left. There are just five rows of graves, comprising 58 burials. The cemetery was almost exclusively used for burying men who fell on the first day of the Battle of Messines, June the 7th, Three graves are from June the 8th. The surviving comrades of the fallen buried these men here in June , after the fighting that raged across this now peaceful landscape. They lie here still, in peace. As well as Spanbroekmolen, some of the other craters from mines blown for the Messines offensive can still be seen. Continuing further along the road from Spanbroekmolen British Cemetery a large water-filled crater is visible on the right. This is Peckham Farm Crater , and whilst it was the fourth largest mine in terms of the amount of explosives used , it may be the largest remaining crater. The crater was visited by King George V in July , when it was far enough behind thefront lines for it to be safe for him to do so. The picture above shows the crater, looking east, with the steeple of Wytschaete church visible to the left. This view shows the ground over which the British advanced that day. South of Messines are several more craters, some of which are on private land. There are three St. Yvon or St. Yves craters , and one St. Yvon No. These mines were originally known as Trench and Trench mines there were two mine at each location. For a number of reasons, not all of the mines which had been originally planned for the Messines assault exploded that day in One, somewhere in the vicinity of La Petit Douve Farm south-east of Messines, was discovered by the Germans in August , subsequently flooded and abandoned. Another, near the St. This crater was subsequently filled in. These were not blown in for tactical reasons the Germans had already withdrawn from this location when the day of the battle arrived. Presumably, the remaining three Birdcage mines, plus the La Petit Douve Farm mine described above, still lie beneath the Flanders fields. This ridge was obviously of great benefit to the Germans, in that they overlooked the British positions on the lower ground, and hence the operation to take this ground. This is in the form of a large St. Above the inscription relating to the action here on Halloween is another which shows the memorial remembers all men of the London Scottish who fell in the Great War. The 1st London Scottish were brought to the Salient from St. Omer in 34 London buses, arriving in Ypres at 3 a. The situation during this time was confused, and they were twice sent out as reinforcements before orders changed and they were recalled. They finally went into the line at dawn on the 31st of October but a few hours later they were sent as reinforcements to the 4th Cavalry Brigade on the Wytschaete-Messines ridge. At 10 a. Their memorial now stands more or less on that spot. The London Scottish suffered from artillery and rifle fire whilst they dug in. They held the position during the day until at 9 p. The London Scottish drove them back, despite problems with their rifles which meant they effectively had to use them as single-loaders rather than with magazines. The enemy attacked again and again during the night, eventually getting close enough that there was hand to hand fighting near the road. After this, due to their losses and the situation the London Scottish were ordered to withdraw. They had held on for hours, holding up the German advance in their first action. They had suffered nearly casualties, and it was not surprising that after the war their memorial should be sited here. The memorial was unveiled in May , in a ceremony attended by Earl Haig and the Belgian King, as well as survivors from the battalion itself. Wreaths were placed at the base of the memorial by relatives of men who had died. External Websites. Adrian Gilbert Adrian Gilbert is a writer, editor and consultant with a special interest in 20th-century warfare. See Article History. World War I Events. Australian soldiers wearing gas masks during the Second Battle of Ypres, Get exclusive access to content from our First Edition with your subscription. Subscribe today. World War I , an international conflict that in —18 embroiled most of the nations of Europe along with Russia, the United States, the Middle East, and other regions. Mine , in military and naval operations, a usually stationary explosive device that is designed to destroy personnel, ships, or vehicles when the latter come in contact with it. Submarine mines have been in use since the midth century; land mines did not become a significant factor in warfare until a…. Messines - Wytschaete Ridge Messines Ridge stretched towards the village of Wytschaete, which is located about 1,5 km farther north, along the N road to Ypres. The attack on Messines Ridge was planned since January However, it was delayed to June because of the Germans offensives at Verdun and the Somme. Messines Ridge Island of Ireland Memorial. Battle of Messines The overall front of the Battle of Messines stretched on about 14,5 km. The offensive was considered a triumph of modern strategy and tactics! Modern assault tactics consisted of taking advantage of the enemy's flaws. The offensive started with the detonation of 19 mines that destroyed the German lines. One of the granite slabs inscribed with quotations and poems from Irish soldiers. Path leading to the Island of Ireland Tower with commemorative standing stones and slabs. It contains the graves of men who fell in Messines in Sadly, a staggering two-thirds are unidentified! The troops from New Zealand Division captured the village of Messines. Tragically, men died while they advanced up the hill from their position in the valley. The New Zealand Memorial dominates the cemetery's entrance. Messines Ridge Cemetery. King Albert I of Belgium unveiled it on August 1, Two bunkers have been kept in their war state on the edge of the memorial park. Peace Pledge inscription. The villages of Messines and Whytschaete were completely flattened and reduced to heaps of stones, and German and British trenches ran along their respective lines… Many bunkers and craters were intentionally kept in their war state, in order to pay tribute to the men who died there. They are also a testimonial for the younger generations. Some of the mines used on June 7 didn't explode. The crater was subsequently flooded and abandoned! Several other craters can be seen in the surrounding farmland. It was most likely an Allied bunker because the apertures face the German front lines. Wounded, killed or missing from the 37th Ulster, 16th Irish and 10th Irish Divisions. A tall round memorial tower marks the centre of the park. Messines Ridge - Ypres Salient in Flanders In the face of active German counter-mining, 8, metres of tunnel were constructed under German lines. Occasionally the tunnellers would encounter German counterparts engaged in the same task: underground hand to hand fighting would ensure. Heavy preliminary artillery bombardment of the German lines was begun on 21 May, involving 2, guns and heavy mortars , ceasing at on the morning of 7 June. The German troops, sensing imminent attack, rushed to their defensive positions, machine guns ready, meanwhile sending up flares to detect British movement towards the ridge. Silence prevailed for the following twenty minutes until, at , the order was given across the line to detonate the mines, which totalled tons of explosive. Of the 21 mines laid 19 were exploded. The invariable loss of surprise in the use of a preliminary bombardment was entirely offset by the effect of the mines, which blew the crest off the Messines-Wytschaete ridge.