Mining Messines

During my recent trip to Arras, I became interested in the mining operations in the war. The Battle of Messines is the apex of the mining effort and a fascinating story.

The map shows Ypres surrounded by a semi-circle of high ground occupied by the Germans. The Germans had occupied the Messines Ridge since 1914 causing a bulge (Salient) in the front line around Ypres. In 1917 the Allies were preparing for a push which would become the 3rd Battle of Ypres, also known as Passchendaele. In order to begin the assault, they needed to straighten out the line, and take the Messines Ridge as it overlooked Ypres and all areas where the troops would be assembling.

The Allies had learned the hard way on the Somme that a direct assault up hill against a heavily fortified defensive position could not be overcome by artillery alone. So, in 1916, a plan was developed to explode a large number of mines in the German defensive positions as a prelude to an all-out assault.

Mining Messines

A total of 25 mines were dug, and more than 1 million pounds of explosives laid. 21 Mines were fired on 07 Jun 1917, with 2 failing to ignite. The 4 mines at the southern end of the line were not fired, as they would not directly impact the assault and were saved to be used later. The number of pounds of explosives used in each mine is shown on the map.

The tunneling effort involved more than 20,000 Tunnelers from the UK, Australia, and Canada. The tunnels were up to 2100 ft long and dug as deep as 125 ft. Both the Allies and Germans were active in mining and countermining, so the Allies dug tunnels closer to the surface as decoys that the Germans blew, believing they had countered the threat.  The miners had to work in silence, as the other side was constantly using stethoscopes to listen for mining activity. If opposition tunneling operations were detected, the Tunnelers would blow charges to collapse the opposition tunnels. The miners lived in constant fear of being detected and buried alive by an enemy explosion.

The geology of the Ypres region had a wide layer of clay that the tunnels were dug in. The most efficient and quietest method of digging was called Clay Kicking, a technique developed in the digging of the London underground and the expansion of the London Sewers.

A clay-kicking team included a kicker with his kicking iron, a bagger, who passed lumps of clay back to a "trammer", who passed it out of the tunnels, using hand operated tram carts. Everything was done as silently as possible, in incredibly confined conditions without any fresh air. The rule was if a candle would burn, the air was good enough to work in.

The clay-kicker operated on a device called the cross, because of the cross beam that supported the digger’s shoulders. The cross was placed in the tunnel at a 45-degree angle. The kicker then gently pushed his sharp digging tool about 9 inches into the clay, and the bagger would catch the lumps. This technique was much more efficient than the Germans, so the Allies were able to progress their tunnels much faster. The Allies averaged about 12 ft per day.

The Allies averaged about 12 ft of tunnel per day. The tunnels were shorn up with timbers and were as small as 4 ft high by 2ft wide.  The mining company were mostly made up of experienced miners or Tunnelers. They worked in appalling conditions, and many of them became ill breathing the stagnant air. A bellows system was used to inject oxygen into the tunnel, but the longer the tunnel, the worse the air quality.

The other issue was the disposal of the clay. The clay in the Ypres region was called blue clay because of its distinctive colour, so the clay was either kept in sandbags to disguise the clay, or dumped into shell holes at night, then covered with local topsoil. It was essential to hide the entrance to the mines, as the enemy had aircraft surveillance every day, and any indication of tunneling would immediately be heavily shelled.

The tunneling was started in early 1916, and by June 1916 several of the mines were completed and the explosive packed in place. A recently invented explosive ammonal was used for most of the mining, as it was a slow explosive that provided lifting power rather than a shattering blow.  The charges were electrically detonated, with multiple independent circuits used to ensure the charges were set off.

Battle of Messines – 07 Jun 1917

The Battle of Messines started with an extended artillery barrage starting on 25 May 1917.  The German positions were hammered for 2 weeks, and the German front line positions were largely destroyed. There were 3 Corps ready for the assault, The II Anzac Corps comprised by the 3rd Australian Division, the New Zealand Division and 25th British in the south, with the 4th Australian Division in reserve, was responsible for taking Messines. The IX Corps in the centre consisting of the 36th (Ulster) Division, 16th (Irish) Division and the 19th British Division, with the 25th British Division in reserve. The mines at Petit Bois on the left of the assault line were about 12 seconds late and buried some of the advancing 16th Division infantry who had advanced into No Man’s land to get a jump on the assault. At the north X Corps consisting of British 23rd and 47th Divisions with 47th Division in reserve attacked St Eloi and along the Ypres-Comines Canal.

The evening before the attack, Harington, the Second Army Chief of Staff, remarked to the press, "Gentlemen, we may not make history tomorrow, but we shall certainly change the geography".

On 07 June, the artillery barrage stopped at 0230 and the Germans came out of their deep bunkers to man the trenches in anticipation of an Allied Assault. At 0310 the mines were set off, with 19 of the 21 mines exploding. An estimated 10,000 Germans in the trenches were killed by mine explosions or buried alive by the resulting falling soil. This was the loudest man-made explosion to date and was heard as far away as London and Southern Scotland.

This was a combined arms offensive with Tanks supporting the infantry, artillery providing effective cover fire with the creeping barrage.

The impact of the mines wreaked havoc with the Germans, and the Allies quickly took their objectives against the stunned German Troops, advancing under a creeping barrage and machine gun fire that suppressed the enemy responses.

Advances in sound location, flash spotting and aerial surveillance by the Royal Flying Corps allowed the Allies to locate the German artillery and apply effective counter battery fire. A post battle analysis showed that 90% of the German Guns were taken out at the start of the assault. The devastation of the trenches and forest are evident.

The Allies achieved all of their objectives on 07 June, and fought of persistent German counter attacks until 14 June, when the holdings were consolidated.  Messines Ridge was taken, the front line straightened out, and ready for the next battle.

The Allies suffered very few casualties during the initial advance, but as they fought to hold their ground, the casualties mounted. They suffered over 25,000 casualties in the battle, compared to approximately 22,000 for the Germans. This battle was considered a major success for the Allies and was followed up 7 weeks later with the offensive known as the 3rd Battle of Ypres.

The largest Crater was at Spanbroekmolen with a diameter of 250 feet, a diameter of total Obliteration of 430 ft, and a depth of 88 ft.

 A view from crater side.

A view of the crater from the rim, just after the battle. Troops at the top show the size of the crater.

There are a number of craters still visible in the area. The crater below is Peckem 1.

The next crater is Factory Farm 2.

Overall Mining Activities

I was completely unaware of the extent of the mining activities carried out during the war. I had visited Lochnagar and Hawthorn Ridge Craters blown on the first day of the Somme Battle but thought of them as isolated events. In fact, during 1916 the Allied tunnelling companies exploded a total of 750 mines along the front line of the BEF. The Germans answered with 696 devices of their own. In the Arras sector, which included Vimy Ridge, ten Royal Engineer tunnelling companies dug thousands of yards of shafts, exploding well over 100 large mines underneath or close to German positions. The majority of the craters still visible today near the Grange Tunnel were fired during 1916.

In comparison to the previous year, 1917 was relatively quiet; 117 British mines were detonated, as compared to 106 German charges.

Hill 60, Caterpillar and St Eloi Craters

Hill 60 and Caterpillar Ridge were man-made hills, created from the cuttings on either side of the track when the railway line was put through the area in the 1850s. Although Hill 60 was a minor rise in the land, it had great strategic value and changed hands several times throughout the war. Hill 60 was at the northern end of the string of Messines Mines and two large mines at Hill 60 and Caterpillar Ridge were set off at 0310 on 07 June with the remainder of the Messines Mines.

Today, Hill 60 is a memorial park of preserved battlefield and is only about 4 m higher than the surrounding area, a result of constant mining operations and artillery barrages.

The aerial photos are taken from Steven Upton’s excellent series of drone footage of the Messines craters. I am a big fan of his work, and if you are interested in more detail the videos are well worth watching. The aerial images in this section are taken from the third video in the Messines Ridge Crater collection:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9thfyQrqs-I

In places the enemy trenches were very close together. The line for the French trench is shown. The line for the German Trench is at the first landing (less than 25 m apart).

The two craters are located on either side of the railway tracks.

The aerial view of the two craters. The Hill 60 crater is along the path off of the boardwalk and the Caterpillar Crater is the circular shape.

Hill 60 was a mass of craters during the war as shown in the picture below.

The landscape has softened over the years, but craters are still visible throughout the Hill 60 park. The centre of 1917 crater runs along the path off the boardwalk. It is one of the few dry craters in the area. The Hill 60 crater was blown with 50,000 lbs of ammonal, and had depth of 90 ft, and a diameter of 190 ft.

Time and follow-on bombardments have changed the crater shape. Here is a view from the bottom.

View from the other lip once I struggled up the hill.

The Hill 60 park also has a number of German Bunkers that remain from the fighting.

The Caterpillar Crater was created with 70,000 lbs of ammonal and created a crater 100 ft deep and 260 ft in diameter.

The perfect circular shape is clearly visible from the air. The view from the crater lip shows the expanse of the crater.

Life goes on, a heron has taken up residence in the crater pond.

 No. 1 Canadian Tunnelling company began digging underneath Saint Eloi in 1916. It was the longest mine shaft to date (1,650 feet), at the greatest depth (125 feet) and after 9 months of dangerous work contained the biggest charge of the war (95,600 lbs of Ammonal). The crater was 125 ft deep and 175 ft in diameter. The crater is now in the middle of a housing development.

Island of Ireland Peace Park and New Zealand Memorial

There are two major memorials on the Messines battlefield, the Island of Ireland Peace Park, and the New Zealand Memorial. The two memorials are close together near the top of the ridge. The elevation map shows the height change along the blue line that passes through the Irish memorial, running from the Allied Front Lines to the Village of Messines.

The rise in the land can clearly be seen.

Island of Ireland Peace Park

The Island of Ireland Peace Park Tower was unveiled in the afternoon on 11 November 1998 by President Mary McAleese of Ireland, in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and King Albert II of Belgium.  Due to the ongoing political conflict, there was no formal memorial for all of Ireland until this point. This was a particular sore point, since the 36th (Ulster) Division built the Ulster Tower, dedicated to the Ulster men of Northern Ireland, near Thiepval on the Somme in 1921, one of the first international memorials built after the end of the War.

The Peace Park is dominated by a 32 m tower for the 32 counties in Ireland.

The tower has a feature similar to the Canadian War Memorial in that the interior is illuminated at 1100 on 11 November.

Interior of the tower.

There are 3 stones commemorating the casualties of the 3 Irish Divisions, the 36th (Ulster), the 16th (Irish) and 10th (Irish) Divisions. The 10th Division fought in Gallipoli and the Middle East and suffered far fewer Casualties than the other two Divisions.

The 36th (Ulster) and 16th (Irish) Divisions fought side by side for the first time in the war, and from all accounts got along very well with each other despite the battles for Irish Home Rule and the 1916 Easter Rebellion going on at home. The advance of the Irish Divisions is shown on the plaque.

They trained together, had amicable sporting competitions with one another and fought very effectively together. There is a saying that there are no atheists in a fox hole, and it is similarly true that suffering under a common oppressor brings people together and makes them forget their disputes outside of the war.

The view from the southern end of the park gives some idea of the slope of the land. As usual, the Germans were firmly entrenched on the high ground, and the Allies would have to fight their way up yet another hill. The Irish front line would have been in the area of the farmhouse down the hill.

A plaque in the park has the peace pledge. This park was opened on 11 Nov 1998, shortly after the 1998 Easter Accord that ended the violence between the Protestants and the Catholics in Ireland, so the wording is especially significant. Gen John de Chastelain, former Canadian Chief of Defence Staff, was one of the primary negotiators of the peace accord.

The plaque reads:

Peace Pledge

From the crest of this ridge, which was the scene of terrific carnage in the First World War on which we have built a peace park and Round Tower to commemorate the thousands of young men from all parts of Ireland who fought a common enemy, defended democracy and the rights of all nations, whose graves are in shockingly uncountable numbers and those who have no graves, we condemn war and the futility of war. We repudiate and denounce violence, aggression, intimidation, threats and unfriendly behaviour.

As Protestants and Catholics, we apologise for the terrible deeds we have done to each other and ask forgiveness. From this sacred shrine of remembrance, where soldiers of all nationalities, creeds and political allegiances were united in death, we appeal to all people in Ireland to help build a peaceful and tolerant society. Let us remember the solidarity and trust that developed between Protestant and Catholic soldiers when they served together in these trenches.

As we jointly thank the armistice of 11 November 1918 – when the guns fell silent along this western front - we affirm that a fitting tribute to the principles for which men and women from the Island of Ireland died in both World Wars would be permanent peace.

New Zealand Memorial

The New Zealand Memorial is on the same slope as the Irish Peace Park. It was built to commemorate the New Zealand action at Messines.

The view from the memorial looks over the path the New Zealanders took up the ridge. They started in the line of trees in the centre of the picture.

The view from the bottom hedge row shows the slope of the land the NZ troops advanced over.

At the bottom edges of the memorial are 2 German bunkers that sat on the front line. This bunker is in the left corner.

This bunker is on the right corner.

The New Zealand Division attacked as part of the II ANZAC corps, up the Messines Ridge and were responsible for the capture of the village of Messines. The start line was in the valley, and the location of the memorial is at point 2 at the German Front line trenches.

The New Zealand troops pushed forward very rapidly, the mine craters and effective artillery counter-battery fire had successfully impaired the German troops, so the NZ troops captures Messines by 0730 with relatively few casualties. They pressed forward to the Black line and held their ground as the Australians leap-frogged through to the final objective, the Oosttaverne Line. The German resistance stiffened, and artillery fire and repeated counter attacks took a toll on the Kiwis. By the time the New Zealand Division was relieved on 9 June, it had suffered 3700 casualties, including 700 dead.

New Zealand Memorial to the Missing

At the entrance to the Messines Ridge British Cemetery is the New Zealand Memorial to the Missing which commemorates the 827 officers and men missing from the battles in the Messines area in 1917 and 1918.

The inscription reads:

A view from the rear of the memorial.

The Battle of Messines is a bit of a departure for me, as only the Canadian Tunnelers were involved in this action. This action is a tribute to all of the miners who performed heroic work in terrible, often lethal conditions. My recent touring underground has reminded me that I am much more claustrophobic than I thought and makes me more appreciative of their efforts in tiny tunnels more than 100 ft underground, constantly fearful of cave-ins and detection by the enemy and the potential having your tunnel blown to bits.  In the case of the Messines Ridge, the blowing of the mines was executed perfectly, and allowed the Allies to capture an extremely well defended position.