The Christmas Truce - December 24, 1914

[82Rigger]

The truce began on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1914, when German troops began decorating the area around their trenches in the region of Ypres, Belgium, for Christmas. They began by placing candles on trees, then continued the celebration by singing Christmas carols, namely Stille Nacht (Silent Night). The British troops in the trenches across from them responded by singing English carols.

The two sides continued by shouting Christmas greetings to each other. Soon thereafter, there were calls for visits across the "No Man's Land" where small gifts were exchanged ? whisky, jam, cigars, and the like. The artillery in the region fell silent that night. The truce also allowed a breathing spell where recently-fallen soldiers could be brought back behind their lines by burial parties. Proper burials took place as soldiers from both sides mourned the dead together and paid their respects. At one funeral in No Man's Land, soldiers from both sides gathered and read a passage from the 23rd Psalm:

The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the path of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.

The truce spread to other areas of the lines, and there are many stories of football (soccer) matches between the opposing forces.
In many sectors, the truce lasted through Christmas night, but in some areas, it continued until New Year's Day.

The truce occurred in spite of opposition at higher levels of the military. Earlier in the autumn, a call by Pope Benedict XV for an official truce between the warring governments had been ignored.

British commanders Sir John French and Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien vowed that no such truce would be allowed again.

[revwardoc]

Sounds like the common soldiers had a lot more sense than the commanding generals.

[82Rigger]

Rev,

Considering what happened a year and a half later at the Somme,
I'd say your 100% correct.

[Packo]

Don't you just hate it when the brass decides we can't play nice with our enemies. Assholes...these guys were the one's laying it on the line.

Great stuff again Steve.

Pack

[urbsdad6]

I am so amazed at stories like this when kindness and caring win the day. Then it's business as usual. Humans.....what a contradiction of emotions. Excuse me I don't want to really kill you but dammit I have my orders and BTW you're trying to kill me, so if you stop, I'll stop. No! You stop first! No you! No you! No you! Children, children, stop this silliness! Do unto others as you would have others do unto you, or just do unto others and run like hell! The choice is yours.

Great story 82Rigger! Thanks.

Doc Urb

[82Rigger]

You know, I've known about this story for a number of years, but while reading ya'lls replies, the thought popped into my head of that slogan of the peace movement that went around in the sixties...don't remember who said it...that went

"What if they gave a war...and nobody came?"