Messines, 1917 as witnessed by a British staff officer The principal author of this book, Charles Harington wrote two books of note. One was an autobiography of his long and distinguished military career, titled, 'Tim Harington Looks Back' and the other was, 'Plumer of Messines' which was, of course a biography of General Herbert Plumer since Harington had served under Plumer as his Chief of Staff. This Leonaur edition includes Harington's edited writings (from both books) on the subject of the First World War based upon his intimate knowledge of Plumer and his activities, especially concerning his most renowned engagement, so is essential reading for any student of the period. As most readers are aware this battle was notably preluded by the explosion of nineteen enormous charges beneath German forward positions which instantly killed approximately 10,000 soldiers and, taken together, represented the largest non-nuclear explosion of all time. To provide an overview of the Battle of Messines (7-14 June,1917) in its wider context and its immediate consequences, this book also contains John Buchan's excellent assessment of the Third Battle of Ypres (also known as Passchendaele) which raged from July to November,1917. This section of the text includes many useful maps, diagrams and photographs.