3. Messines Preparations.
The Company left Armentières (which was, however, still held by the 3rd Division) on March 14th, when it crossed the river and commenced working in the Le Touquet sector, the defence of which was taken over at the same time by the 11th Brigade. The whole company, including transport, concentrated in Stuff Camp, Pont de Nieppe, which was taken over from the New Zealand Engineers.
The Le Touquet sector was chiefly distinguished by drainage difficulties, and time did not permit of much improvement being effected, as on the 5th April the area including Plœgsteert Wood and St. Ives Hill was taken over and work started on preparation for the attack on Messines Ridge—the so-called “Magnum Opus.” The 105th Field Coy., R.E., took charge of the Le Touquet area on the 7th, leaving the 11th Coy. free to devote all its time to Messines preparations.
These included a big programme of trench improvements and extensions and Battalion Headquarters for the various attacking battalions, well forward in our existing trenches. The Battalion Headquarters were made of concrete, chiefly in the form of blocks and steel girders and rails. The block construction was not very successful.
As the 9th and 10th were to be the attacking Brigades, and the 9th & 10th Companies to be associated with them, these two Field Companies took over all these works from the 11th Field Company about 26th April, leaving the 11th free to devote itself to such work as the preparation of approach routes up to and through Plœgsteert Wood, signboards and fixed maps throughout the area, and further accommodation for various headquarters and command posts. Two sections—1 and 4—were taken up with artillery work—preparing the positions for the field artillery to be used in the attack; acres of camouflage screen were erected over battery positions, scores of splinter-proof shelters made for the gun crews, gun pits dug out and protected, and tram lines laid. A very strong dugout for use as a Divisional Command Post was made in the cellars of the lodge on the road from Hyde
Park Corner to Messines, and a great deal of work was done fixing up the “Catacombs.” This was a very large dugout in Hill 63, dug some time before by the 1st Australian Tunnelling Company. It was big enough to hold some 1,400 men, but had been allowed to become rather dilapidated. It was cleaned out and improved in various ways so as to accommodate a Brigade Headquarters, Battalion Headquarters, and a battalion complete, together with a few stray detachments.
The “fixed maps” already mentioned consisted of small maps, done in waterproof ink on linen and varnished on to boards, erected in correct orientation at trench intersections, road and track junctions, and all such places throughout the divisional area. They proved of great use, particularly to the numerous strangers which the approaching battle brought into the area. Another job of the Company Surveyors was a relief map or model of the battle area. This was carved out of wood to a scale of 1.2500 horizontal and 1.400 vertical, and shewed everything known of the enemy’s lines in great detail. It was used throughout the battle by the 11th A.I. Brigade in their headquarters in the Catacombs, and was subsequently sent to Australia.
Dumps of Engineer stores for use during and after the battle were gradually built up in various forward positions, particularly in the north-east part of Plœgsteert Wood. One of these dumps in the wood was shelled one day and a sapper of the company, a tough old veteran of the South African Campaign, was hit in the leg by a splinter. He started to hobble down the duckboards towards an aid post, but after proceeding a hundred yards or so his indignation overcame him, and returning to the dump, he demanded his rifle in a voice choked with anger, saying, “I’ll make the —— pay for this!” It was with some difficulty that the old warrior was smoothed down and started afresh for the aid post.
Lieut. W. H. Thomas was in charge of the dumps during both the preparations and the battle itself, and he and his party of sappers and attached infantry had a bad time from gas, which was used in shells very largely by the enemy at this time, Plœgsteert Wood, in particular, being drenched with it immediately before and during the attack.
For his work during the period, Lieut. Thomas subsequently received the Military Cross, but was evacuated suffering from gas shortly after the action.