Messines, 1914

The Battle of Messines was fought in October 1914 between the armies of the German and British empires, as part of the Race to the Sea, between the river Douve and the Comines–Ypres canal.

The Honour is borne on the Guidon of the 3rd Hussars.

Detail

The Battle of Messines, was part of the Race to the Sea, the series of battles that decided the line of the western front.

In the aftermath of the first battle of the Marne, it was decided to move the BEF back north to Flanders, to shorten its supply lines back to the channel ports.

The Battle of Messines was the official name for the fighting between the river Douve and the Comines-Ypres canal, but it merged into the battle of Armentières to the south and the first battle of Ypres to the north.

The Battle officially began on 12 October, when the Cavalry Corps was pushed forward to make room for the advance of III corps. The corps ran into German troops on the high ground at Mont des Cats and Flêtre and captured Mont des Cats.

The advance continued on 13 October. The British advance forced the Germans to evacuate their most forward positions, in Armentières.

Related topics

  1. A short history of The 3rd Hussars
  2. Western Front 1914-18 timeline