Memento of Messines – panel 9 Machine Gun

MEMENTO OF MESSINES
MEMENTO O MESSINES
At ten past three on the morning of 7th June 1917, the Allies detonated a series
of mines under the German defences on Messines Ridge in West Flanders,
Belgium. The underground explosions heralded the start of an Allied offensive to
seize the strategic ridge and deprive the German army of the high ground south
of Ypres.
Am ddeng munud wedi tri bore 7 Mehefin 1917, bu i’r Cynghreiriaid danio cyfres o
ffrwydron ar Grib Messines i’r gorllewin o Fflandrys, Gwlad Belg. Y ffrwydradau
tanddaearol oedd dechrau ymgyrch y Cynghreiriaid i gipio crib strategol y fyddin
Almaenig ar dir uchel gerllaw de Ypres.
British, Australian and New Zealand troops advanced behind a rolling barrage of
artillery shells. The 9th Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers (9RWF) were in the thick of
the fighting. At the end of the day, the Messines Ridge was in Allied hands.
Bu i luoedd Prydeinig, Awstralia a Seland Newydd symud ymlaen y tu ôl i
wrthglawdd tonau o ffrwydron. Roedd 9fed bataliwn y Ffiwsilwyr Brenhinol
Cymreig (9RWF) yng nghanol y brwydro. Ar ddiwedd y dydd, roedd Crib Messines
yn nwylo’r Cynghreiriaid.
The 9th Battalion’s C Company was responsible for 'mopping up' any German
resistance behind the advancing British forces. Sometime during the day, C
Company took possession of the machine gun on display — an MG 08/15, the
standard issue machine gun of the German Army after April 1917.
Roedd Cwmni C y 9fed Bataliwn yn gyfrifol am ymdrin â’r gwrthwynebwyr
Almaenig a oedd y tu ôl i’r lluoedd Prydeinig a oedd yn symud ymlaen. Rhyw
bryd yn ystod y dydd, cipiodd Cwmni C y gwn peiriant a arddangosir - peiriant MG
08/15, gwn peiriant cyffredin y Fyddin Almaenig ar ôl 1917.
Three months later a brief news story appeared in the Wrexham Advertiser:
Tri mis yn ddiweddarach ymddangosodd stori newyddion fer yn y Wrexham
Advertiser:
PRESENTED TO THE MAYORESS — The Mayoress of Wrexham (Mrs L.B.Rowland)
has been presented by the 9th Batt. R.W.F. with a German machine gun, which
was captured at Messines. The gun is given by the battalion to the Mayoress in
gratitude for what she has been instrumental in doing for the boys. It is on its way
but has not yet arrived in Wrexham.
CYFLWYNWYD I’R FAERES — Cyflwynodd 9fed Bataliwn R.W.F y gwn peiriant
Almaenig a gipiwyd yn Messines i Faeres Wrecsam (Mrs L.B.Rowland). Rhoddir y
gwn gan y bataliwn i’r Faeres mewn gwerthfawrogiad o’r hyn mae wedi ei wneud
i’r bechgyn. Nid yw wedi cyrraedd eto ond mae o ar ei ffordd.
15th September 1917
15 Medi 1917
Mrs Rowland as Mayoress of Wrexham was heavily involved in the RWF Prisoners
of War Association and in organizing the delivery of 'comforts' to Royal Welch
Fusiliers on active service. The gun finally reached Wrexham in early 1919.
Roedd Mrs Rowland fel Maeres Wrecsam yn ymglymedig iawn yng Nghymdeithas
Carcharorion Rhyfel y RWF ac yn trefnu dosbarthu ‘nwyddau cysur’ i’r Ffiwsilwyr
Brenhinol Cymreig oedd yn gwasanaethu. Yn y diwedd cyrhaeddodd y gwn
Wrecsam ar ddechrau 1919.
MG 08/15, German Army machine gun, captured by C Company, 9th Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers, 7th June 1917 © Wrexham Heritage Service, WREMA 84.6
MG 08/15, Gwn peiriant Almaenig, a gipiwyd gan Gwmni C, 9fed Bataliwn Ffiwsilwyr Brenhinol Cymreig, 7 Mehefin 1917 © Gwasanaeth Treftadaeth Wrecsam,
WREMA 84.6