Battle of Messines (1914)

The battle of Messines was part of the Race to the Sea.

In the aftermath of the first battle of the Marne, the staff decided to move the British Army back north to Flanders, to shorten its supply lines back to the channel harbours. The battle of Messines was the official name for the fighting between the river Douve and the Comines-Ypres canal, but it happened to merge into the battle of Armentières to the south and the first battle of Ypres to the north.

The battle of Messines, 12 October-2 November 1914, was part of the Race to the Sea, the series of battles that decided the line of the western front. In the aftermath of the first battle of the Marne, it was decided to move the BEF back north to Flanders, to shorten its supply lines back to the channel ports. The battle of Messines was the official name for the fighting between the river Douve and the Comines-Ypres canal, but it merged into the battle of Armentières to the south and the first battle of Ypres to the north.