Mesen was a wealthy town in earlier times and was flattened during WW1 but is now rebuilt as a large hilltop village. Closer to France and running to the border is Ploegsteert, known to the British as Plugstreet. The wood here was occupied for most of the war by the British and contained many shelters hidden by the trees. This was one of the areas affected by the 'Christmas Truce' of 1914. The wood today occupies a similar plan to that prior to the War but has been completely regrown as in 1918 it was little more than boggy ground with a few stumps.