Operation Kiwi DVD now available

We are very pleased to announce that a DVD recording the work undertaken during Operation Kiwi, the excavation of the Terrain Model of Messines on Cannock Chase is now available at at cost of £15 + £2 p&p for delivery to a UK address or £15 + £5 p&p for delivery outside the UK.

Told in three parts of 50 minutes each, experts, volunteers and locals reveal the story of the model from its construction, through its use as a tourist attraction to the 2013 excavations and the landscape over which the Battle of Messines was fought in 1917. Created as part of the process of recording the excavations and research, this is a non profit product and is only available in the PAL format. (Europe, New Zealand, Australia).

Please select:

Post to UK address: £17.00 GBP Post to an address outside of the UK: £20.00 GBP

Reunion for Volunteers

Last Sunday a reunion of volunteers who helped with the excavation of the Terrain Model on Cannock Chase was held at the Education centre on Marquis Drive. There were talks about the project and an short film of the excavations was shown. There was also opportunity to examine the finds, visit the Great War Hut, an excellent selection of cakes washed down with tea, coffee and a little Belgian beer.

Messines Model featured on Inside Out

Last night 21st October 2013, Inside Out West Midlands featured our work on the Cannock Chase Model of Messines. If you missed it you can catch it on iPlayer until next Monday. Inside Out on iPlayer

Work is progressing well

Despite the torrential rain yesterday, work to protect the Model of Messines on Cannock Chase is progressing well, massive thanks to all our volunteers who braved the weather. The work continues today.

More about the Battle of Messines

As our project on the Messines model draws to a close, we would like to provide some additional information about the battle and the New Zealanders who fought there:

nzhistory.net.nz Has a selection of pages dedicated to Messines


www.army.gov.au has an article on the Australian involvement at Messines

plugstreet-archaeology.com is No Man's Land's site about the work we are doing in Belgium



We can now also confirm that the reinstatement will begin on Monday 14th of October, if any of our volunteers would like to assist or any new volunteers would like to help it would be much appreciated. Please email Jo on cannockwwiexcavations@gmail.com to let us know which day(s) you can help. If you haven't volunteered on site during the excavation,  please contact Jo  to register before arriving on site.

Cannock Model Information Boards

Our information boards have now been removed from the site for safe keeping, but copies are now available below.

Click the images to enlarge for reading:

Other Opportunities to Volunteer

Following the success of the community archaeology project to uncover the Model of Messines on Cannock Chase, we have been asked if there are any other opportunities to volunteer.

In addition to the process of protecting the model and reinstating the heathland, we hope to be able to undertake further Great War related excavations in the future, please watch this blog for further updates.


We can also tell you about a new archaeology club being organised to look at the wider history of the Chase, please contact The Friends of Cannock Chase for more information.

The Landor (Local History) Society are another local group whose interests include the Great War Camps on the Chase. Their website also has links to other local groups which may be of interest.


The Wartime Memories Project is seeking volunteers to help online with historical research, writing and editing articles for the website and also for their HLF funded Great War Centenary project "Life on the Home Front".

As the centenary of the Great War approaches, there will be a huge number of local and national projects taking place, http://www.1914.org/ has a list of many events and projects. 

Our Project in the Media

In addition to the TV coverage on BBC1, Midlands Today and News 24, our project has been mentioned in a number of newspapers and on radio, here in Britain and in New Zealand:

Dig begins on Cannock Chase to uncover unique wartime model

New Zealand Lieutenant Colonel Mike Beale visits WW1 Messines model in England

WW1 terrain model of Messines in Belgium built by ANZAC troops in England is excavated

WW1 Messines model excavation in England

 Dolores Ho of the National Army Museum in Wouiaru interview NZ radio programme

The model will also feature on Inside Out, West Midlands, as yet we don't have a confirmed date for broadcast and on Countryfile on BB1 on the 11th of November.

The filming of Countryfile has delayed the finalising of our project and we now expect to begin the process of covering the model on Monday 14th October 2013, if any of our volunteers would like to assist or any new volunteers would like to help it would be much appreciated. Please email Jo on cannockwwiexcavations@gmail.com to let us know which day(s) you can help. If you haven't volunteered on site during the excavation,  please contact Jo  to register before arriving on site.

Casualties of War

One of the most important aspects of the war, is one which is sometimes overlooked when visiting the battlefield, even in miniature. The official histories speak of heroic deeds and hard fighting, success and failure, the white portland headstones of the Commonwealth War Graves are a stark hauntingly beautiful reminder of those who lost their lives in these blood soaked fields. But what of those who were injured?

To the families and soldiers the Royal Army Medical Corps is perhaps one of the most vital of the support services on the battlefield, something which is as true today as it was in 1917.

The Battle of Messines was planned in every detail and the medical support was a massive part of this plan. The New Zealanders had a well co-ordinated network to assist the injured both on the battlefield and to evacuate them back to the hospitals on the coast of France or in England.

The Main Dressing Station was situated at Westhoft Farm with the Advanced Dressing Station at Kandahar behind the British Lines, they also used the Australian Advanced Dressing Station at Underhill Farm, all lined by tramways and motor car ambulances. There were two Regimental Aid Posts at Fort Osbourne and Boyles Farm, which were moved forward into captured territory after the Town of Messines had been captured at 7am. Captain Nelson, the RMO of the 1st Aucklands, opened his RAP in a captured concrete dug out in Ulcer Sap and Capt Addison opened his RAP at Moulin de L'Ospice a German strong point on the site of the Windmill belonging to the Institution Royale on the western edge of Messines, now the site of the CWGC Cemetery.


The NZ Medical Corps Report of the preparations for the battle and the events during the action is available online and makes interesting reading: The New Zealand Medical Service in the Great War 1914-1918

The German army employed a very similar system, with their main aid post being situated close to the Institution Royale with further facilities in the cellars. The German RAP was demolished during the preliminary bombardments before the Battle, killing many of their medical personnel, leading the attacking troops to conclude that the enemy had scant regard for their injured comrades.

The final day (almost).

Firstly a massive thank you to all our volunteers,  members of No Man's Land, Staffordshire County Council, Natural England, Jaguar Landrover, our administrator Jo for running the volunteer registration, Richard and Lee for their historical research, Angela for updating the blog, our aerial photographers, all our visitors, locals who have helped in various ways and last but my no means least Kirsty Nichol for all her hard work in organising the project and for leading the field work along with Martin Brown.  This has been a wonderful unique project and its sucess is down to all those who took part with such enthusiasm. 

Although today was the last day of excavation,  members of our team and some volunteers will be on site for the next two days completing record photography and preparing the model for the 3D scanning team who will take over on Wednesday. 

We expect to begin the process of covering the model on Monday 14th October 2013, (this has been delayed due to the filming schedule of BB1's Countryfile who want to feature the model in their Remembrance Sunday programme). If any of our volunteers would like to assist or any new volunteers would like to help it would be much appreciated. Please email Jo  on cannockwwiexcavations@gmail.com to let us know which day(s) you can help.

If you haven't volunteered on site during the excavation,  please contact Jo on cannockwwiexcavations@gmail.com to register before arriving on site.

Once again thanks everyone for your help in making this project so successful. 

Tanks in Action

During the Second World War, Channock Chase was used to test tanks built in the factory nearby, we have discovered a nice link to this fact as one of the best surviving features of the Great War Model at Brocton Camp is a fortified farm, known as "Fanny's Farm". The farm is shown as an L shaped block right on the edge of the model, the back corner clipped as as not to impede the drainage channel, the circular trench system surrounding the buildings is very clear and survives well, being buried a little deeper than other areas of the model.

Lee & some of the volunteers checking the map at Fanny's Farm.

The farm was situated on the northern boundary of the New Zealand Division's sector on the 7th of June 1917. As the troops advanced they were held up for a time by machine gun fire from the farm. This enemy strong hold was over come when a Mk IV tank arrived to assist the infantry, and holed the wall, allowing the capture of the machine gun crew and other enemy soldiers within.

Successful Saturday

Today has been a great day on site with lots of volunteers including a group from the young archaeologists club, organised by the Friends of Cannock Chase. 

We have also had a huge number of visitors throughout the day.

This afternoon the last turf was lifted from the model and, despite some incorrect reports in local newspapers,  the project is on schedule and the model will be ready for the 3D scanning team next week.

Site photography is now under way to record the archaeology and will also be used to create a texture for the digital recreation of the model. Though we hope the weather forecast for tomorrow is wrong as bright sunshine makes photography more difficult and slows progress was we have to use a shade screen to create flat areas of shadow.

Have we answered the puzzle of the Messines Church Model?

Partly:

Records reveal that the German artillery spotters were using the bell tower as viewing platform to guide their guns onto the British lines to the east and south of Messines in the early months of the war. The enemy being able to direct his fire with precision was a huge problem for the British Forces and in October or November 14, a well placed artillery shell sliced the bell tower from the stone tower, depriving the enemy of the high viewing platform

Further investigation of archive sources may have revealed the answer to the style of church, we have located a photographic post card of the church dated 1914, which shows the tower without the embellished bell tower on top, giving the appearance of a square Norman style tower.

This image matches more closely with the photos of the model, though legend has it that the model included a pocket watch in the tower as the church clock. A feature that is absent from the actual church, though today the Peace Bells chime with a different melody every quarter of an hour and a full peel on the hour. Well worth pausing to listen.


We  are also pleased to report that we have also been contacted by the family who had the model church in their garden for many years.  They have also been able to provide us with some photographs which confirm the story of the pocket watch embedded in the structure. Unfortunately the model of the church no longer survives but at least we can now tell it's story in full.

The Last Days

The excavation of the model of Messines on Cannock Chase are almost complete. We have a small area left to uncover and then the cleaning of the model needs to be finalised as the 3D scanning team will begin their work on Wednesday.

Over the weekend and early part of next week our team and volunteers and will be very busy. As well as finishing the last few metres of the model,  we also need to photograph it to record it and to provide images to be used as a texture for the digital model.

The Puzzle of Messines Church Model

Messines Church with the distinctive tower dominates the landscape today, as it did before the Great War, having been rebuilt to almost the same design.

As an obvious land mark, it also formed the centre point of the Model of Messines here on Cannock Chase. However as we can see from the 1930's photographs of the model, the interpretation of the building appears very different.

This raises an important question, why did they depict what appears to be a square towered Norman style church as the centre piece for the model?

We are in possession of two images of the model which include the church, both show this configuration. Unfortunately for our investigations, the model of the church is missing, having been rescued from the decaying model many years ago, it was last seen in a garden in the village of Brocton, does anyone know where it is now? It would be helpful to our project to be able to view it, are there any photographs of it in the garden?

Remembering the Dead

Although the Battle of Messines was a great success the loss of life was still very significant. Many men lost their lives in the advance and the hand to hand fighting to take the fortified towns. At Messines, the success of the New Zealand Division also contributed to their losses. In taking and holding the town well before the appointed hour to move forward to take the second line of German defences, resulted in a large number of troops gathering amongst the newly captured ruins of the towns. Before the order to advance was given, the enemy artillery regrouped and launched a barrage of shells on the town, causing many casualties.

Messines Ridge Cemetery, resting place of many New Zealanders.

As with all the major battles of the Great War, some bodies were never recovered and over the intervening years the remains of men are discovered during archaeology and building work. 

In 2012 a New Zealand soldier was discovered during work in Messines, he was laid to rest with full military honours.

 

 

Video from the ceremony.

School children visit Messines Model

Today 100 school children aged between seven and ten made a visit to our site to view the Messines Model on Cannock Chase and Freda's Grave. The four classes were given a tour of the site and an overview of the Battle of Messines by Angela, Jon and Lee.

The archaeology is going well with the excavation extended by a good few metres, thanks to a stirling effort by our volunteers. The team have located three sides of the model and hope to find the extent of the area covered by the model tomorrow.

Family History and the Great War

Today the scale of the Great War is difficult to comprehend, the lives of every family in every town across the whole world was affected by the conflict. Almost every family had someone serving in the armed forces or the munitions and war effort factories.

Do you know what your family were doing 100 years ago?

The Wartime Memories Project are developing a Guide to tracing your Family in the Great War which you may find helpful, their website is also a huge resource for sharing stories of the conflict, with links to many other useful websites.

The Men of Messines

 Looking back through time, it is easy to look at the major battles of the Great War from the point of view of tactics, landscape and politics, but these were battles fought by individuals who formed the Platoons within Companies, which made up the Battalions, which formed the Brigades, which made up the Divisions of the Army. It is the stories of these individuals which reveal the details of the battle and the lives of people at that time.

No Man's Land, have a website which follows the progress of our work in Belgium, included in the site are pages dedicated to the men of Plumer's Second Army and also the men of German Army at Messines whose role in the battle must not be forgotten.

If you can add the names of any men who took part in the Battle of Messines, please use the forms on our website to add their story.

Community links via the Cannock Great War Project.

Today we have had a visit from Lt Colonel Mike Beale of the New Zealand Defence Force, who travelled up from London to see the site and strengthen links between the local community here in Staffordshire and the islands of New Zealand. He was very impressed with the work we have done on site and the historical research and was able to provide our team with information on how the NZ Forces use training maps today and historical information about their part in the 1917 attack on Messines. He was also able to liase with a colleague via mobile phone, to pin point the location of Frickleton's VC action.

Lt Col Beale also laid a wreath in the corner of the site.

We were also joined on site by a group of sixth formers from a local school who helped with the excavation.

 Today's guard dog, Buddy.