General News
22 August, 2026
Veterans' Voices: The Battle of Messines
John Thomas Scott was born in 1893 in Natimuk, to parents Henry Scott and Clara Durham. He attended Vectis State School and was a farmer at the time of enlistment.
John Thomas Scott was born in 1893 in Natimuk, to parents Henry Scott and Clara Durham.
He attended Vectis State School and was a farmer at the time of enlistment.
Scott enlisted on March 10, 1916, as a private in the 38th Infantry Battalion, C Company.
He embarked from Melbourne on board HMAT A54 Runic on June 20, 1916.
He was killed in action on May 28, 1917, at Messines, Belgium.
John Thomas Scott is “Known Unto God” with no known grave.
He is commemorated at the Villers-Bretonneux wall of the missing.
The following letter was received by John Scott’s brother, Alex Scott, from Private W.T. Cozens, 38th Infantry Battalion, regarding John Scott’s death.
It was published in The West Wimmera Mail on January 18, 1918.
“I will try and write you a few lines concerning poor Jack's death.
I wrote you a letter about 3 months ago, but it must have been on the boat that went down.
I had a letter from father, and he said you were wondering if I knew how Jack met his death.
Jack was acting as stretcher bearer to one of our companies in a raid on Fritz's lines.
He was about 100 yards away from where I was, but on a different sector, and he and the chap that was with him were killed with the same shell, death being instantaneous.
I saw a chap since who was within a few yards of him that night.
It must have come as a great blow to you all, as a better mate you couldn't find.
Jack and I were best of mates ever since we came into camp, and there wasn't a man who had a bad word for him.
He was our company's champion runner.
I often wonder whether you got the medal that Jack won at Lark Hill or not.
We had a lot of casualties the night that Jack met his death.
It was on the morning of the 28th of May. 200 of us raided Fritz's trenches, and only 80 answered the roll call next morning.
I have not been back to the Battalion since that night, as I got hit then too.
I had letters from the boys over there, and they all miss Jack very much.
He was always happy and a general favourite.
It is with the deepest regret that I write you these few lines, but I thought it only right that I should do so, as Jack and I were mates.
I extend my deepest sympathy to you all in your sad bereavement.”
The 38th Infantry Battalion conducted a major raid on German trenches in the early morning of May 28, 1917, successfully penetrating the enemy’s trench, engaging in hand-to-hand combat and taking a prisoner.
However, the withdrawal was a disaster, as nearly half of the raiders were killed or wounded by an Australian artillery barrage that landed short of their target in the midst of the withdrawing raiders.
Total losses included 30 men killed or missing and 63 wounded.
The Battle of Messines took place over a week after the raid on May 28, and was the first major action that the 38th Infantry Battalion fought in.
Capturing the Messines Ridge was crucial as it gave the German artillery observers a good view of the ground west of Ypres where the British planned to gather their forces to launch a major attack during the Third Battle of Ypres.
The battle commenced a few minutes after 3 am on June 7, 1917, when the Allies detonated 19 mines under German trenches, which tunnellers had secretly dug over the previous year.
The enormous explosions obliterated the German front line and left survivors stunned, leaving the Allied advance unopposed over much of the front, where Allied forces easily captured the ridge and thousands of prisoners.
At the time, the opening of the Battle of Messines was the biggest man-made explosion in history.
The explosion from the mine shaft beneath Hill 60, dug by the 1st Australian Tunnelling Company, created a crater 18m deep and 79m wide, and is still visible today.
The battle ended on June 14, costing the British and Allied forces around 24,562 casualties, while the German losses were approximately 25,000.
Historians widely debate exactly how many Germans died from the initial opening mine blasts, with estimates ranging between 1000 and 10,000.