The 3rd Pioneers would subsequently serve on the Western Front from late 1916 until the end of the war. After a brief period of acclimatisation in a "nursery sector" around Armentieres, the battalion's first major action came around Messines in June 1917, during which several of the battalion's companies were assigned to the assaulting companies to dig communication trenches while other troops were assigned general engineering duties such as road clearance, tramway maintenance, anti-aircraft defence and water supply, laying pipes and ensuring that they were maintained throughout the battle. Following this, the battalion's next major battle of 1917 was the Third Battle of Ypres, before moving back to Wavrans in late October 1917. One member of the battalion, Lance Corporal Walter Peeler, received the Victoria Cross, for his bravery during the Battle of Broodseinde in October 1917. During the action, Peeler was part of a Lewis Gun team that was supporting the 37th Infantry Battalion; tasked with providing anti-aircraft defence, when the first wave of the assault was held up, Peeler advanced ahead of the assaulting infantry and destroyed one of the German positions that was causing heavy casualties. He then proceeded to destroy a machine gun position.
