[Illustration: AMONG THE RUINS OF MESSINES _The motor takes the left-hand road to Wytschaete (see p. 47)._] _Follow the road as far as the fork to the place called Nôtre-Dame-de-Grâce_ (the ruins of the chapel are barely distinguishable), _then take the Neuve-Eglise road on the left._ Stop the car at Rossignol terre-plein and walk a few yards into the little wood on the right; numerous concrete shelters, from the top of which there is a very fine view over the Hills Kemmel, Rouge, Noir and Cats. The last-named can be recognised by its abbey, which stands out against the sky. _Return to the car. The road now descends. Passing by a few ruined houses--all that remain of the hamlet of Haubourdin--a fork is reached, where take the Neuve-Eglise-Messines road on the right._ British cemetery on the right. _Cross the Douve river, then the railway (l. c.). Turn to the right at the first ruins of Wulverghem, then go through the village, passing in front of the cemetery. Next cross the Steenbeck, by the St. Quentin Bridge. The road now rises sharply to the crest on which Messines used to stand._ Numerous small forts are seen to the right and left. These machine-gun nests are all that now mark the site of the village. At the entrance to the village leave the car at the junction of the Ypres-Armentières and Neuve-Eglise-Warneton roads, and visit these pathetic ruins on foot. =Messines= maybe regarded as one of the hinges of the "Ypres Salient." An important strategic point, it was hotly disputed throughout the war. [Illustration: ENTRANCE TO WYTSCHAETE _The motor takes the right-hand road to Oosttaverne (see p. 47)._] On November 3, 1914, during the First Battle of Ypres, it fell into the hands of the enemy. At four o'clock on the following day, the ground between this village and Hollebeke (some four miles to the north) was the scene of several furious attacks (see p. 8). Messines was destroyed by the British bombardment during the offensive of June, 1917. The New Zealanders captured it on June 7, in spite of a stubborn defence. They also took the neighbouring village of Wytschaete (see p. 20). Messines again fell into German hands in April, 1918 (see p. 39), and was finally retaken on September 30 during the last battle (see p. 46). _Return to the car and take the Ypres road on the left_ (photo, p. 58). Along this road are numerous little bridges thrown across the shell-holes. =Wytschaete=, which is soon reached, was captured, like Messines, in the first battle of 1914, and retaken by the New Zealanders on June 7, 1917. After being entirely destroyed by bombardment (see p. 20), it was lost again on April 15, 1918, then retaken on September 30, 1918.