Battle of Messines

This marked the first time the Australians and New Zealanders had fought alongside each other in a major engagement on the Western Front. The occupation of the Messines ridge and village was a necessary preliminary step in a major offensive planned for the end of July. From the ridge the Germans would have been able to observe the preparations for this offensive.

“The taking of Messines thus fell to the New Zealand Division, with an attack frontage of from 1,500 to 1,600 yards.”

“Zero-hour had been fixed for 3.10 a.m. on the 7th of June. At 6 p.m. on the previous evening, one company of the 3rd Battalion, then on Hill 63, took over the whole Brigade defensive front from a portion of the 2nd Auckland Battalion, and three hours later the remainder of the Brigade, from the bivouac area at De Seule, started off on their long silent march to the front trenches, moving by the specially-marked overland routes W and X, which, to reduce the liability to casualties from shelling, avoided the roads for practically their whole length. ” [Excerpt From: Lieutenant-Colonel W. S. Austin. “The Official History of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade.”]

The attack started on schedule and, on the whole, was a success with most units achieving their objectives with relative ease and lighter than expected casualties. The New Zealand forces having cleared the ridge and village by 7.00 am. However, the light casualties meant that “the trenches of our new positions were thickly held. Though this was undesirable in view of the heavy shelling to which the enemy was sure to subject the area, yet because of the fact that operations were being continued farther forward, no thinning-out could he permitted until their success was assured.” [Austin, ibid]

“About 4.40 a.m. on the 7th a barrage was placed on the ridge by the German guns and howitzers about Warneton and by the enfilading group of batteries at Quesnoy and Deulemont, south of the Lys. This fire increased considerably about 6 am., and in the afternoon had become severe. A single example may suffice to illustrate the conditions. Rflmn. A. Dunthorne, a stretcher-bearer of the 4th Rifles, noticed that an enemy salvo had buried a handful of his comrades. He at once rushed along the trench, and amid thickly falling shells toiled to recover them. He had dug out 2 of the 3 buried men, when another salvo again completely buried them and severely shook and dazed Dunthorne himself. Although the salvoes continued to fall deafeningly on the trench, he worked on and eventually succeeded in extricating and saving the lives of all 3 men. Recommended for the V.C., he received a D.C.M.” [Excerpt From: Col. H. Stewart. “The New Zealand Division 1916 - 1919: A Popular History Based on Official Records.”]