About
This site aims to provide information for New Zealanders about the Battles of Messines and Pesschendaele in 1917 as well as information about related events, exhibitions, museums and other aspects visitors to the region might be interested in.
There is an overview of the role the New Zealand Division played at these major First World War battles and related events such as La Basseville. There is also additional material on the region itself, the towns involved, a description of what happened to the local Flemish people of the time and details of some of the New Zealanders involved in the battles. Every endeavour has been made to respect sensitivities that may be involved on the part of anyone visiting this site.
This website is owned and operated by Stad Mesen / City of Messines and was initially set up to provide information on the 2007 90th Commemorations of the Battles of Messines and Passchendaele. It has been compiled by Steven Reynaert of the Messines Council, Freddy Declerck of the Passchendaele Society 1917 and Memorial Museum Passchendaele, and Martin O'Connor, a New Zealander who lives in Belgium and is an honorary life member of the Passchendaele Society 1917. Jeff McNeill, a New Zealand based expert on the Battle Messines, has generously provided an account of that battle, while Di Mackey, a New Zealand photographer based in Antwerp, has provided many of the photos. Gert Ickx, Patrick Colson and Anton Gazenbeek have also contributed to the site. Should you have any comments or suggestions to make or any questions about this site please mail Steven Reynaert at: info@mesen.be
We are indebted to the Alexander Turnbull Library, the Wairarapa Archives and the Canterbury Museum as well as to organisations in Belgium, New Zealand, the UK and Canada for their assistance and free use of photographic and other material. Our thanks also go to Windsor Jones of the New Zealand Army Museum and Dr Chris Pugsley, the New Zealand military historian, for their great assistance and support as well as to people such as Bob Luxford at the Rugby Museum, Ron Palenski at the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame and a number of others. Last and most definitely not least, we would thank the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and staff at the New Zealand Embassy in Brussels.
We are very grateful to Waypoint Design for developing and designing the site free of charge, for use of its Content Management System (CMS) and for hosting the site. Special thanks go to Christian Lenaerts and Luciano Kohan.
(Photo: War graves at Tyne Cot Cemetery, Passchendaele; Di Mackey)