Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery in action at Messines

The New Zealand Division was among those selected for the assault on the ridge and the village of Messines in northern France on 7 June 1917. Because the New Zealanders did not have any heavy artillery batteries of their own the New Zealand Field Artillery relied on the British Royal Garrison Artillery to provide them with the heavy artillery support they needed on the Western Front.

The image above is of a British BL 60-pounder Mk I heavy field gun at maximum recoil, and was taken on the second day of the battle by Henry Armytage Sanders.

Despite the success of the attack on Messines, the New Zealanders paid a heavy price: by the time the New Zealand Division was withdrawn on 9 June, it had suffered 3700 casualties, of which 700 were fatal.

Read more about the Battle for Messines here.