Messines Ridge Memorial, World War I memorial site in Mesen, Belgium
Messines Ridge Memorial is a stone monument in Belgium listing 827 names of soldiers who died during World War I in this region without known burial places. The site consists of stone panels designed by a notable architect and sits near the village of Mesen.
The memorial was unveiled in 1924 and marks the location where fighting raged during the Battle of Messines in 1917. A mill had previously stood at this site since the middle of the 15th century before the war.
The memorial bears names of soldiers from a nation thousands of miles away in the southern hemisphere who fought in this conflict. These inscriptions show how far the war reached and how people from distant lands died in this place.
The memorial is freely accessible year-round and sits close to main roads, making it easy to reach by car. Since the site is open and expansive, weather conditions can affect how walkable the grounds are at different times of year.
A Belgian king attended the unveiling and erected a white obelisk next to the memorial at that time. This additional stone became the center of a park dedicated to the nation from the southern hemisphere.
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