Arras and Messines 1917: VCs of the First World War

For much of the First World War, the opposing armies on the Western Front were at a stalemate, with an unbroken line of fortified trenches stretching from the Belgian coast to the Swiss border. The Allied objective after the bloody Battle of the Somme drew to a close in November 1916 was to decisively break through the German 'Hindenburg Line' and engage the numerically inferior German forces in a war of movement. The Arras offensive was conceived to achieve this breakthrough and was planned for early 1917 after considerable pressure from the French High Command. Commonwealth Forces advanced on a broad front between Vimy in the northwest and Bullecourt in the southeast, with the French Army attacking 80km further south in the Aisne area. Initial successes, albeit costly, were followed by a reversion to the previous stalemate and lead to a change of focus, with an assault on the Messines Ridge, near Ypres, beginning in June 1917. By the end of July, on the eve of the Third Battle of Ypres, a total of fifty Victoria Crosses had been awarded, including many troops from the Australian, Canadian and New Zealand Forces. This includes Captain Robert Greive, who single-handedly silenced two enemy machine-gun nests at Messines, and L/Cpl James Welch, who captured four prisoners with an empty revolver. The courage, determination and sacrifice of their generation should never be forgotten. Although covering the period January to July 1917, much of this book concentrates on the events of April—the month of the Battle of Arras, including the capture of Vimy Ridge by the Canadian Expeditionary Force and the fighting for possession of the fortified villages of Monchy le Preux and Gavrelle. It extends to include the successes of the Commonwealth Forces at Bullecourt and Messines Ridge in May and June. The first member of the British Expeditionary Force to win the Victoria Cross on the Western Front in 1917 was Sergeant Edward Mott of the Border Regiment, on January 27; six months later, on July 27, the eve of the Passchendaele offensive, Private Thomas Barratt of the South Staffordshire Regiment, who had spent much of his childhood in the workhouse, won Britain and the Commonwealth's highest award for valor. By the end of July, on the eve of the Third Battle of Ypres, a total of 50 Victoria Crosses had been awarded, including many to troops from the Australian, Canadian, and New Zealand Forces who fought alongside the British Army. The courage, determination, and sacrifice of their generation should be never forgotten. Although covering the period January to July 1917, much of this book concentrates on the events of April - the month of the Battle of Arras, including the capture of Vimy Ridge by the Canadian Expeditionary Force and the fighting for possession of the fortified villages of Monchy le Preux and Gavrelle. It extends to include the successes of the Commonwealth Forces at Bullecourt and Messines Ridge in May and June. the first member of the British Expeditionary Force to win the Victoria Cross on the Western Fron in 1917 was Sergeant Edward Mott of the Border Regiment, on 27 January; six months la