Drawing material from a wide range of primary sources in England, Germany and Australia, the author looks at the action in this battle from all levels of command during the preparatory, battle and post-battle phases. The attack is also examined from the viewpoint of the defending German troops on the other side of the wire.

It explores why the name of Messines is not as familiar as The Somme, Passchendaele or Verdun, and why General Sir Herbert Plumer is not as widely known as Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig or even General Sir Hubert Gough. The author reassesses the reasons for General Plumer's success on the day, the implications of Haig's failure to exploit the success, and finally the legacy of the battle for the maturing of the BEF in 1918.

Prelude
an orchestra of war
instruments of war
across the wire - towards "soldatendammerung"
overture - 1-6 June
"The Messines Symphony" - first movement and phase one - "soldatendammerung" am 7 June
second movement and phase two - "strike the chord" - pm 7 June
third movement - "not a retreat, merely a withdrawal" - 8-14 June
fourth movement - "opportunity gained... and lost"
finale - repercussions - third Ypres, Cambrai and crisis
coda - the legacy of Messines
postscript - "to my chum".