History Forum / General / British History / December 2005

The 1914 Christmas Truce

On Christmas Day 1914 a never repeated ceasefire took place in some
sections of the British front-line.

Here is an exerpt from an article concerning the event by members of The
Gordon Highlanders.

"At Christmas 1914 there took place in some parts of the British line
what is still regarded by many as the most remarkable incident of the
War - an unofficial truce. During the winter it was not unusual for
little groups of men to gather in a front trench, and there hold
impromptu concerts, singing patriotic songs. The Germans, too, did much
the same, and on calm evenings the songs from one line floated to the
trenches of the other side, and were received with applause, and
sometimes with calls for an encore. On quiet nights, at points where the
trenches were quite near, remarks shouted from one trench system were
audible in the other. Christmas Eve the Germans spent singing carols,
and, the night being calm, they informed our men they did not intend to
shoot on Christmas Day, asking at the same time that we also should
refrain from violence. "No shoot to-night, Jock!, Sing to-night!" was
one of the remarks they made on Christmas Eve. Little attention was
given to this, but on Christmas morning, when our men were at breakfast,
a cry was raised that the Germans had left their trenches. Springing to
arms, they could scarcely believe their eyes when they looked over the
parapet and saw a number of the enemy standing in the open in front of
their trenches, all unarmed. Some of the enemy shouted "No shoot!" and
after a little, a number of our men also got out of their trench.

Meanwhile Colonel McLean had come up on his daily tour of inspection,
accompanied by the Padre, the Rev J Esslemont Adams, minister of the
West United Free Church, Aberdeen. They had just completed a burial
service over one of our men behind the line, when the Chaplain, looking
up, observed the strange sight at the front trench, and drew the
Colonels attention to it. Colonel McLean ran along the front line and
ordered our men to come down, but they pointed out that more of our men
further along were standing "on the top", and that a number of the enemy
were out on their side and gazing peacefully across. The Chaplain, who
had followed the Colonel, said to him, "I'm off, sir, to speak to the
Germans; maybe we could get a truce to bury the dead in No Man's Land."
Coming to a little ditch, which ran along the middle of the field
between the lines, he held up his hands and called out, " I want to
speak to your Commanding Officer. Does anyone speak English?" Several
German officers were standing together, and one of them said, "Yes, come
over the ditch." The Chaplain hurried forward, saluted the German
Commander, and began to talk to him and his staff. Almost at the same
moment a hare burst into view and raced along between the lines. Scots
and Germans leapt from their trenches and joined in the eager chase. The
hare was captured by the Germans, but more was secured than a hare. The
truce of God had been called, and the rest of Christmas Day was filled
with peace and goodwill.

Dotted all over the sixty yards separating the lines lay the bodies of
the dead. Spades were brought out and soon each side set to work to dig
graves for the fallen. The Chaplain had seized his opportunity and had
urged both Commanding Officers to agree to a short religious service
after the dead had been buried. This was arranged, and about four
o'clock that afternoon took place what must remain one of the most
memorable Christmas services of all time. One one side of the dividing
ditch were British officers, with soldiers in rank behind them ; on the
other, German officers with men of their regiments about them ; between
them stood the Chaplain, an interpreter, and a German divinity student
serving with the Saxons. The Padre read the 23rd Psalm in English, the
German student reading it after him in German. Then a short prayer,
which the interpreter had translated, was read sentence by sentence by
the student after the English form had been recited. At the close the
Chaplain stepped forward and saluted the German Commander, who shook
hands with him and bade him farewell. It was an impressive sight -
officers and men, bitter enemies as they were, uncovered, reverent, and
for the moment united in offering to their dead the last offices of
homage and honour.

The spirit of friendship and goodwill did not end with Christmas Day.
Both sides were only too glad to snatch a brief respite from the
discomfort and misery of the mud-filled trenches. A friendly
understanding was come to, by which they warned each other of the
approach of any of the Brigade or Divisional Staff. On their approach
the "truce" seemed to vanish, and trench routine was normal. A few
rounds were fired into the air, lest by accident a front-line combatant
might come by harm. As soon as the Staff left the line, the truce
revived, and friend and foe again swarmed into No Man's Land. The
informal character of the truce sometimes created embarrassing
situations. During one such visit the Brigadier, passing along the front
line, looked over the parapet and saw a German fully exposed. Turning to
the nearest rifleman, he ordered him to shoot the German down. The man,
wishing to give the enemy a sporting chance, fired high. The German took
no notice. The Brigadier became annoyed and ordered the private to shoot
again. This time the soldier fired wide, but near enough to cause the
German to look up in pained surprise. "Shoot again" ordered the
Brigadier. The soldier obeyed, and so near was the bullet that the
incautious enemy dived headlong into his trench.

A number of Germans were fluent speakers of English - one said he had
been a waiter in the Hotel Cecil - and conversation was always possible.
The greatest friendliness prevailed. All kinds of "souvenirs" were
exchanged - coins, buttons and pipes ; while quite a busy trade went on
in barter. Bully beef and jam were in great demand, and were exchanged
for sausage and chocolate ; cigarettes and tobacco were the price of
German cigars ; and British rum purchased wine or cognac. In these
beverages they pledged each other's health, and to all appearance the
War was at an end. Strangest perhaps of all, and most abiding proof of
truce, when it was discovered that there were barbers among the enemy, a
number of our men were shaved by them in No Man's Land.

A few days of quiet revealed in their own way the national
characteristics of the combatants. The 6th Battalion, descended from
forefathers for whom thrift and foresight had been a hard necessity and
not a virtue, could not conceal its "canny" nature. Knowing that this
situation could not last, many of the men took advantage of the
"armistice" to fetch from the ruined buildings and fields nearby,
supplies of firewood and potatoes against the days when peace and
goodwill would be no more. Most of the enemy, though glad to escape the
mud and to stretch their limbs in the open, still retained the optimism
and truculence of early days of the War, and were confident they would
be "Nach London" in three weeks. The few cases of war-weariness only
threw into bold relief the confidence of the many. One German, asked by
an officer of the 6th whether he was tired of the War, looked up
wistfully at his tall questioner and whispered in pathetic English "
Home, Sweet, Home !"

The truce lasted from Christmas, 1914, to the 3rd of January 1915. Its
end had more formality than its opening. On the afternoon of 3rd January
a German officer approached our lines, accompanied by an orderly who
acted as interpreter. They asked for an officer. Capt. Dawson of "D"
Company, left the British trench and advanced over the open to meet
them. The two officers gravely saluted, the German officer informing
Capt. Dawson that instructions had been received that the ordinary
conditions of warfare must be resumed. After some discussion of the
time, watches were compared and were found to differ by nearly two hours
; it was then agreed that the truce would lapse after the expiry of an
hour. That day only a few shots were fired, but on the following day, in
obedience of orders, volleys were fired all along the line. A "feu de
joie" passed from the 2nd Gordons through the 6th to the Guards, rifles
being in the proper position, muzzles well in the air. Immediately
after, a message passed right along the front, " Pass it along - the
Kaiser's dead." The truce was over. "

During the following Christmases during WW I the Military Authorities
were made sure this event was NEVER repeated....

Some links regarding the truce....

http://www.greatwar.nl/frames/default-christmastruce.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4123107.stm

http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/christmastruce.htm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1082392,00.html

http://www.todayinliterature.com/stories.asp?Event_Date=12/25/1914

http://www.alittlechristmasmagic.com/Christmas_Truc.html

http://www.libertymemorialmuseum.org/liberty.aspx?pgID=950

And for the doubters:

http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/truce.asp