The high cost of La Basseville
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Now a private home, Le Cafe au Rooster |
On July 27 at 2 am the New Zealand Division launched an attack on the tiny village of La Basseville, just a few kilometres down the hill to the south-west of Messines. This attack was planned as a support action for the massive attack that took place in the Ypres sector and marked the start of Third Ypres.
There were three major aims. The first was to make Germans believe that the Allied Forces were planning an attack towards Lille by establishing forward posts near the river and giving the impression they were going to build bridges. The second was to capture and occupy the village. These two formed the first phase. The second phase and third aim was to launch a raid from the captured territory on the enemy posts north-east of the village and establish a defence line in this area.
At dawn the New Zealand 1st Brigade captured the village with the First Wellington Battalion carrying out the actual attack. But the New Zealanders were driven out again the next morning as counter bombardments and attacks proved too severe to hold the positions. The New Zealanders suffered serious casualties during these actions, many from a German machine-gun post in a two-storey inn (estaminet).
For several reasons the attacks in the north were postponed again. On July 31 the New Zealanders launched another attack on La Basseville, simultaneously with what proved to be the real start of the Third Battle of Ypres. The First Auckland Battalion was to hit the German defences while the Second Wellingtons were to take the village and establish positions there. Shortly before 4 am the New Zealanders began advancing behind the Allied artillery barrage.
Lance-Corporal Leslie Andrew led two sections sent to destroy the machine-gun position at the inn. As they moved forward, they noticed another machine-gun on the nearby railway line which was holding other New Zealand troops. They rushed the position, killed the crew and captured the gun before turning back to their original objective. Approaching the inn from the side, the New Zealanders crawled through thistles to within striking distance. They threw in grenades and then stormed the position, killing some of the Germans and capturing a second machine-gun.
Andrew, together with Private Lawrence Robert Ritchie, then scouted forward towards the limits of the artillery barrage. On the way they attacked another German position at what was Der Rooster Cabaret. For his actions and leadership that day Andrew, who went on to become Brigadier Andrew and a somewhat controversial figure in the Battle for Crete during the Second World War, was awarded the Victoria Cross. Ritchie received the DCM.
The Germans lost La Basseville the same day, but once ensconced in their defence lines started huge counter barrages. This shelling was responsible for great losses among the New Zealand troops. But despite this, the village stayed Allied territory.
The total casualty toll at the end of the battle was 1,329.
Today La Basseville has been absorbed into the outskirts of Waasten (Warneton in French) and is on the road leading to the motorway which replaced the railway line and then further on to Ploegsteert Wood, where the New Zealand field guns were said to be wheel to wheel for the June attack on Messines. Der Rooster cabaret was rebuilt after the war but is now a private home although its later name - Cafe au Rooster - still appears on the front wall.
Back from the main road a little further along from Der Rooster is a new memorial stone to Charles Sciascia of the Maori Battalion. Unveiled by family members last year it commemorates the former Maori All Black who lost his life close by.