Messines Ridge: Messines - Wystchaete - St Eloi

by Peter Oldham

The battle for the possession of the villages of Messines Ridge, Messines, Wytchaete, St. Eloi, took place in 1914-17, and the final battle for Messines in 1918. The 1917 Battle of Messines was preceded by 19 giant mine explosions and was the biggest military mining effort in history. This book gives comprehensive details of what happened where and when, together with what can be seen today, including maps of all the remnants and sites.

142 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1998

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent guide to an area of interest near Ypres giving the history of what happened and suggestions of where to visit. There are some remarkable photographs and very moving text.

[Wilde Sky · Rating 4 out of 5]

An account of a series of WWI battles for a small section of the front line.

I found this book a bit dry but fascinating, purely for the factual details on the amount of lives, time, effort and resources expended before and after the fighting.