British: Communication Shelter, Messines Ridge

Located close to the Irish Peace Memorial on the south side of Messines Ridge is a British concrete communications bunker. This bunker connected the Brigade and Divisional headquarters on the eastern side of the Messines Ridge.

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It was started by New Zealand engineers and completed by the 4th Australian Pioneer Company in March 1918. The 5th Australian Signals Company used the bunker before it was handed over to the British 19th Division. It has thick walls and a reinforced concrete roof, and the interior is just large enough for an operator and equipment.

Trench Map with the Communication Shelter location highlighted

The rear wall of the bunker has received a direct hit from a German shell and there are signs of the concrete flaking off the reinforcement wire mesh on the interior wall in the area of the shell strike.

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The Australians had dug a trench to bury the cable that ran from the bunker to the rear headquarters located at La Hutte on Hill 63. The communication bunkers in a system had exchange letters as a means of identification in the case of this bunker it was DB and other bunkers in the system had other two letter combinations to identify them.