"Australian Memorial at Hill 60" Top 5 Page for this destination Ieper Things to Do Tip by Greggor58

Hill 60 is a parcel of land that was inclusive in the Battle for Messines Ridge in June of 1917. The Battle for Messines Ridge was unique in that for the first time EVER in human history the Allied forces tunneled underground to set charges to blow holes and breach the German lines.

It was the Australian 1st Tunneling Company that was primarily responsible for the tunneling work. A staggering 53 000 pounds of explosive was set in the chamber that the Australians had created blowing a crater almost 200 feet in diameter.

If you visit this site you can see for yourselves the Memorial to the Australian 1st Mining Company. The Memorial is damaged by two or three bullet holes that are supposed to have occurred during heavy fighting here during the liberation of Belgium in the Second World War.

The Memorial reads..." In Memorial of officers and men of the 1st Australian Tunneling Company who gave they're lives in the mining and defensive operations of Hill 60 1915-1918"

It also indicates that this is not the original Memorial,the first one having been destroyed by the invading armies of 1939. Again a quote from the Memorial itself.."This monument replaces that originally erected in April 1919 by they're comrades in arms" and its dated 1925.

Just recently on the 15th April an Australian film has been released entitled "Beneath Hill 60" which tells the story of the 1st Australian Tunneling Company’s exploits here and is based on the accounts of Captain Oliver Woodward the senior officer responsible for the tunneling operations.

If you do make a visit...keep in mind that the earth that you walk upon is in fact a burial site..there were many bodies that were NEVER recovered and lie buried here forever.

Address: 3 miles south east of Ypres closer to Zillebeke.
Website: http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~dccfarr/Messines.htm