The village of Messines was located on the strategically important Wyschaete-Messines Ridge, a ten-mile long piece of high ground south of Ypres and a salient into existing British lines. General Sir Herbert Plumer’s Second Army was chosen for the task, with three corps, a total of 12 divisions, allotted to secure the objective. Australian involvement came as part of Lieutenant General Sir Alexander Godley’s II ANZAC Corps which consisted of the 25th British Division, the New Zealand Division and the 3rd Australian Division, commanded by Major General John Monash. It would be the 3rd Division’s first major offensive action and also the first time Australians had fought alongside their New Zealand comrades since Gallipoli. Their main objective was to capture the village of Messines and then advance to the flat ground beyond which was vital for artillery observation of enemy positions. The 4th Australian Division commanded by Major General William Holmes was designated as the reinforcement division for II ANZAC Corps and it was to complete the second phase of consolidation. The main attack occurred on 7 June 1917 and subsequent operations continued until 14 June. The Messines operation is noted for its overall meticulous planning, the use of mud models for preparing orders, unit-level rehearsals and massive preliminary artillery bombardments. It also included the use of 19 out of 24 deep mines blown at the 3:10 am H-Hour under the German front line. The capture of Messines and the ridge line was considered to be one of the most significant Allied victories in the war up to that point. The casualty lists were high: the 3rd Division lost 4,100 men, the 4th Division 2,700 men and the NZ Division 5,000 men from a total British casualty list of 26,000.
