Posted on 12/24/2002 2:53:51 AM PST by Caipirabob
At Christmas, 1914, there occurred several informal truces at various points along the trench-lines of Northern France and Belgium. It may well be that there were other places where truces took place, but our precise knowledge of events is limited by the amount of direct, eyewitness testimony which has so far been discovered. Nevertheless, there are enough trustworthy reports (and even a few photographs) to convince us that something extraordinary happened that first Christmas of the war, and that it was not entirely an isolated happening.
The image of opposing soldiers, shaking hands with each other on one day and then deliberately trying to kill each other the next, is a powerful one, and one which is part and parcel of remembrance of the Great War. It was, perhaps, a last example of open-handed chivalry before the squalor and horror of the next three years changed the old world for ever.
"It is thought possible that the enemy may be contemplating an attack during Xmas or New Year. Special vigilance will be maintained during these periods."
From General Headquarters at St. Omer - to all units 24th December, 1914.
This message came from the Headquarters of Sir John French and was sent to all British Units in France and Flanders on Christmas Eve, 1914. It may be that Sir John ought to be taken at his word, and that there really was a considered possibility of some kind of German attack coming over the Christmas period. But there may have been a hidden message - that Sir John had considered the possibility of some show of friendliness at Christmas and had taken steps to give advance notice of HQ's disapproval of any such thing.
"Gorblimey" service-caps, goatskin coats - and Father Christmas in the trenches - 1914.
Far from wishing to attack, some Germans seemed inclined to make Christmas a quiet period, in which they could enjoy memories of home. The Germans had originated the tradition of bringing Christmas trees into their houses and decorating them, a practice which was introduced into England by Queen Victoria's Consort, Prince Albert. In 1914 the practice was still not as widespread in the UK as it was in Germany. The Germans had brought Christmas trees into their trenches and dugouts in various places, and had decorated some parts of their parapet. Leutnant Johannes Niemann, 133rd Royal Saxon Regiment refers to having a Christmas tree in his dugout, and mentions also that the soldiers had hung little Christmas trees above their trenches, complete with candles. The Scottish troops opposite him, seeing the lights and being mindful of the general order issued the day before, suspected an imminent attack and began firing. No attack came, of course, and things settled down soon afterwards.
Gunner Herbert Smith, 5th Battery, Royal Field Artillery, also saw at least one Christmas tree and coloured Chinese lanterns strung along their parapet on Christmas Eve.
It appears that the Germans usually took the lead in making informal contact with their enemies, usually by calling across No-Man's Land to attract their attention after which one or two particularly brave men took the courageous step of standing upright on their parapets.
Sometimes, the first contacts were made on Christmas Eve, but it was on Christmas Day itself that most of the fraternisation took place, following a particularly cold and misty dawn. There had been a heavy overnight frost in Northern France and Belgium, and the surface of the ground was frozen.
The actual organisation - the setting up of "rules"- of the truce fell to local officers on the spot, and arrangements varied. Captain Sir Edward Hulse, of the 2nd Scots Guards, made an early contact himself, at about 8 a.m. and then went off to report to his HQ. When he arrived back in the front line, he found that there were several large crowds out in No-Man's Land, and that his trenches were completely empty, contrary to the orders he had left. Some officers allowed their men to go out into No-Man's Land in small groups of three or four, so that the trenches were always manned.
The Royal Welsh Fusiliers near Ploegsteert Wood appear to have hardly left their trenches at all. Some of their officers met their German counterparts for a polite conversation out in the open and brought back a barrel of beer, courtesy of the Germans, who said that they had plenty to spare.
Photo: British soldiers with Christmas trees - but later in the war
But by and large, the truce was taken as an opportunity to meet, to shake hands, to show family photographs and to exchange small items of food and tobacco. Even the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, ordered to stay in their trenches, joined in the spirit of things, flinging tins of bully beef and jam towards the Germans, with seasonal greetings like, "Here you are, you hungry bastards!" For the most part of the day, the opposing armies took advantage of the opportunity to repair and drain their trenches, and to bury their dead.
It's a little mind numbing to think about this event which took place in the midst of the trenches during one of the most bloody confrontation between two "Western" type powers.
One certainly could not imagine this taking place with the animals confronting our brave troops in the Middle East.
I felt it was something to remeber though. In the midst of all the battle, two enemies reached into their hearts and found a moment to reach out to one another in a moment of peace.
30 million perished during that war.
God bless you and keep you and yours this Christmas.
Please pray for all ours and our allies brave troops and their families this Christmas.
That's "spiked Egg-nog" for BUMP!
Firgure I'd let it stand...
5.56mm
Even though he was of the American forces, he did tell the tale of the "Soldiers 'Peace' at Christmas"
Even though he was not there when it happened, he always said that he believed it was true
(My "input", for your edification)
J
Note: this topic is from the FRchives and probably years past. Adding to the GGG catalog.
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