It was 1916 and the First World War was in its second year.
Capturing these ports became a major objective for the British army.
The crater at Spanbroekmolen, also known as the Lone Tree Crater or the Pool of Peace.
At Lille University’s geology department, 20 km away, the shock wave wasmistaken for an earthquake.
It was rumored that the sound of the explosion was heard as far away as London and Dublin.
Eyewitnesses closer to the scene of action reported seeing pillars of fire rising out of the ground.
The German troops were stunned, dazed and horror-stricken if there were not killed outright.
Many of them lay dead in the great craters opened by the mines.
Both explosions blew away large part of the hill.
In total, about 10,000 German soldiers were killed or went missing in the Messines Ridge explosions alone.
Finally at 3:10 am, it was detonated along with all mines at Messines.
But the blast was so powerful that flying debris killed many British soldiers who stood hundreds of meters away.
It was this crater that eventually became the Lone Tree Crater or the Pool of Peace.
Indeed, the explosions at Messines Ridge created several permanent craters that have now turned into shallow pools.
Not far is the Peckham Farm Crater, about 240 feet across.
39,400 kg of explosives was used to blow up the mine that was dug underneath the crater.
Further north is the Maedelstede Farm crater, a 100 feet across, created by 41,000 kg of explosives.
Then south of Spanbroekmolen are the double craters of Kruistraat.
Some of the mines, however, failed to detonate.
They still remain like ticking time bombsunderneath private land.
One blew upunexpectedlyin 1955 during a thunderstorm.
A pylon was unknowingly erected above the site of the mine.
When lightning struck the pylon, it detonated the mine below.
The only casualty was a cow.
Related:Lochnagar Mine Crater
Geological sections of a part of the Messines Ridge mine craters.
Photo credit:ViennaUK/Wikimedia
Factory Farm Crater.
Photo credit:Arthur Jordan/Flickr
The crater of the Peckham mine.
British troops in a captured, badly smashed by the British bombardment, German trench on Messines Ridge.
June 7, 1917.
Seen on 11th June 1917.
Photo credit: Imperial War Museum
