Christmas in the Trenches

First World War 1914-1918 from the German perspective.

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Tom Houlihan
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Christmas in the Trenches

Post by Tom Houlihan »

I pondered whether to post this in a thread on Christmas, but decided that it should be the first of probably few posts I put in this new section.

This e-mail was sent to my by a Marine buddy. It seemed appropriate to share it with you:
A nice little tidbit of history from WWI....


Christmas at the Front

On December 7, 1914, Pope Benedict XV suggested a temporary hiatus of the war for the celebration of Christmas. Though Germany readily agreed, the other powers refused.

Even without a cessation of war for Christmas, family and friends of the soldiers wanted to make their loved ones' Christmas special. They sent packages filled with letters, warm clothing, food, cigarettes, and medications. Yet what especially made Christmas at the front seem like Christmas were the troves of small Christmas trees.

On Christmas Eve, many German soldiers put up their Christmas trees, decorated with candles, on the parapets of their trenches. Hundreds of Christmas trees lighted the German trenches. The British soldiers could see the lights but it took them a few minutes to figure out what they were from. British lookouts reported the anomalies to their superiors. Could this be a trick? British soldiers were ordered not to fire but to watch them closely. Instead of trickery, the British soldiers heard many of the Germans celebrating.


"Time and again during the course of that day, the Eve of Christmas, there were wafted towards us from the trenches opposite the sounds of singing and merry-making, and occasionally the guttural tones of a German were to be heard shouting out lustily, 'A happy Christmas to you Englishmen!' Only too glad to show that the sentiments were reciprocated, back would go the response from a thick-set Clydesider, 'Same to you, Fritz, but dinna o'er eat yourself wi' they sausages!' " Lieutenant Kennedy as quoted in Brown, Christmas Truce

In other areas, the two sides exchanged Christmas carols.


"They finished their carol and we thought that we ought to retaliate in some way, so we sang 'The first Noël', and when we finished that they all began clapping; and then they struck up another favourite of theirs, 'O Tannenbaum'. And so it went on. First the Germans would sing one of their carols and then we would sing one of ours, until when we started up 'O Come All Ye Faithful' the Germans immediately joined in singing the same hymn to the Latin words 'Adeste Fidéles'. And I thought, well, this was really a most extraordinary thing - two nations both singing the same carol in the middle of a war."
Jay Winter and Blaine Baggett, The Great War: And the Shaping of the 20th Century (New York: Penguin Books, 1996) 97



This fraternization on Christmas Eve and again on Christmas was in no way officially sanctified nor organized. Yet, in numerous separate instances down the front line, German soldiers began yelling over to their enemy, "Tommy, you come over and see us!" Still cautious, the British soldiers would rally back, "No, you come here!"

In some parts of the line, representatives of each side would meet in the middle, in No Man's Land.

"We shook hands, wished each other a Merry Xmas, and were soon conversing as if we had known each other for years. We were in front of their wire entanglements and surrounded by Germans - Fritz and I in the centre talking, and Fritz occasionally translating to his friends what I was saying. We stood inside the circle like streetcorner orators. Soon most of our company ('A' Company), hearing that I and some others had gone out, followed us . . . What a sight - little groups of Germans and British extending almost the length of our front! Out of the darkness we could hear laughter and see lighted matches, a German lighting a Scotchman's cigarette and vice versa, exchanging cigarettes and souvenirs. Where they couldn't talk the language they were making themselves understood by signs, and everyone seemed to be getting on nicely. Here we were laughing and chatting to men whom only a few hours before we were trying to kill!".
Corporal John Ferguson as quoted in Brown, Christmas Truce 71.

Some of those who went out to meet the enemy in the middle of No Man's Land on Christmas Eve or on Christmas Day negotiated a truce: we won't fire if you won't fire. Some ended the truce at midnight on Christmas night, some extended it until New Year's Day.

One of the main reasons Christmas truces were negotiated was in order to bury the dead. Though some had died recently, there were corpses out in No Man's Land that had been there for several months. Along with the revelry that celebrated Christmas was the sad and somber job of burying their fallen comrades. On Christmas day, British and German soldiers appeared on No Man's Land and sorted through the bodies. In just a few rare instances, joint services were held for both the British and German dead.

Yet many soldiers enjoyed meeting the un-seen enemy and were surprised to discover that they were more alike than he had thought. They talked, shared pictures, exchanged items such as buttons for food stuffs. An extreme example of the fraternization was a soccer game played in the middle of No Man's Land between the Bedfordshire Regiment and the Germans. A member of the Bedfordshire Regiment produced a ball and the large group of soldiers played until the ball was deflated when it hit a barbed wire entanglement.

This strange and unofficial truce lasted for several days, much to the dismay of the commanding officers. This amazing showing of Christmas cheer was never again repeated and as World War I progressed, the story of Christmas 1914 at the front became something of a legend.


This experience has been the most practical demonstration I have seen of 'Peace on earth and goodwill towards men.

Oswald Tilley as quoted in Brown, Christmas Truce 97-98.


British commanders Sir John French and Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien vowed that no such truce would be allowed again. (However, both had left command before Christmas 1915.) In all of the following years of the war, artillery bombardments were ordered on Christmas Eve to ensure that there were no further lulls in the combat. Troops were also rotated through various sectors of the front to prevent them from becoming overly familiar with the enemy. Despite those measures, there were a few friendly encounters between enemy soldiers, but on a much smaller scale than the previous year.


"Christmas In The Trenches"
Words & Music by John McCutcheon, c. 1984


My name is Francis Toliver, I come from Liverpool.
Two years ago the war was waiting for me after school.
To Belgium and to Flanders, to Germany to here, I fought for King and country I love dear.

'Twas Christmas in the trenches, where the frost so bitter hung.
The frozen fields of France were still, no Christmas song was sung.
Our families back in England were toasting us that day, Their brave and glorious lads so far away.

I was lying with my messmate on the cold and rocky ground, When across the lines of battle came a most peculiar sound.
Says I, "Now listen up, me boys!" each soldier strained to hear, As one young German voice sang out so clear.

"He's singing bloody well, you know!" my partner says to me.
Soon, one by one, each German voice joined in harmony.
The cannons rested silent, the gas clouds rolled no more, As Christmas brought us respite from the war.

As soon as they were finished and a reverent pause was spent, "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" struck up some lads from Kent.
The next they sang was "Stille Nacht," "'Tis 'Silent Night,'" says I, And in two tongues one song filled up that sky.

"There's someone coming towards us!" the front line sentry cried.
All sights were fixed on one lone figure trudging from their side.
His truce flag, like a Christmas star, shone on that plain so bright, As he, bravely, strode unarmed into the night.

Soon one by one on either side walked into No Man's Land, With neither gun nor bayonet we met there hand to hand.
We shared some secret brandy and wished each other well, And in a flare lit soccer game we gave 'em hell.

We traded chocolates, cigarettes, and photographs from home.
These sons and fathers far away from families of their own.
Young Sanders played his squeezebox and they had a violin, This curious and unlikely band of men.

Soon daylight stole upon us and France was France once more.
With sad farewells we each prepared to settle back to war.
But the question haunted every heart that lived that wondrous night:
"Whose family have I fixed within my sights?"

'Twas Christmas in the trenches where the frost, so bitter hung.
The frozen fields of France were warmed as songs of peace were sung.
For the walls they'd kept between us to exact the work of war, Had been crumbled and were gone forevermore.

My name is Francis Toliver, in Liverpool I dwell, Each Christmas come since World War I, I've learned its lessons well, That the ones who call the shots won't be among the dead and lame, And on each end of the rifle we're the same.
............

Here's the song:

http://labornotes.org/songs/music/christmastrenches.ram

Merry Christmas, my friends.
TLH3
www.mapsatwar.us
Feldgrau für alle und alle für Feldgrau!
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Post by Dragunov »

more irony of war. it's almost surreal...
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Post by phylo_roadking »

Tom, growing up in a family with many connections with the Great War, and being the son of "grade school" teachers, this story is familiar, but there's of course many different flavours of it, as it had been recorded by many different veterans along many different sections of the Front.

I did know the British frowned on the possibility of it happening in 1914 - their babies-on-bayonets campaigns were in full swing by that time; the problem wasn't fraternising on the front line....it was the effect it could have at home if it became widely known! Hadn't heard about the Pope's involvement though.

One other snippet - a lot of the trading was British cigarettes and canned goods (the eponymous "Fray Bentos") for German "luxury" goods - chocolate, sweets etc. as the British system of Christmas gift boxes for troops at the front hadn't yet come into being, although had existed in the Crimea and South Africa; the Germans had anticipated a longish war against Russia, but expected - and nearly got - as quick a walkover in France as in 1871 LOL And as in WWII, the Germans were way ahead in the composition of their rations, with sugery sweets and chocloate for energy and morale....at least until the Blockade began to bite :-( We have one of those Christmas tins, from 1917, in the house as I type...sadly long ago emptied!

There was more fraternisation in 1915 than the above might indicate, by the way....but after that, as the war itself became more brutal with machineguns over fixed killing zones, gas etc. ... the British Staff didn't need to worry about fraternisation :-(

Both years running there are several instances of massed soccer matches being played....typical Brits, SOMEONE had managed to cary a football through everything unscathed!

By the war, I've no idea what it was called but about ten years ago the BBC produced a pretty good docudrama about the Xmas truce, but I've no idea if it was ever released on VHS or DVD.
"Well, my days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle." - Malcolm Reynolds
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Post by Doktor Krollspell »

Hello Gentlemen!

Apparently there is a new (2005) french motion picture "Joyeux Noël" that show this famous christmas truce of 1914. I haven't seen the movie but will definitely try to get a copy... See also the following link for a good photo gallery from the movie:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0424205/

Joyeux Noël (2005)
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http://www.amazon.com


Regards,

Krollspell
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Post by Alex Coles »

You know, if only in war, christmas truces can happen like that these days. In more recent history it seems that sometimes offensives are launched on christmas day, to make there no time for spirit on the frontline.
Alex

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Post by phylo_roadking »

In anything approaching a static war lately, there comes a time when the "hot war" only erupts when the Staff are about LOL At the height of winter, with transport difficult and rations if not short then sparse and unvarying, post infrequent and the same faces day after day....more trading and fraternising goes on than you think. Hence "prisoner" raids etc. - to keep the lingering bad feeling up!

But also, a lot of wars nowadays are dvidied by religion as much as politics - for one side or another Xmas is just another day....or a day when their nice Western WASP opponents are down and thinking of home....
"Well, my days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle." - Malcolm Reynolds
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Joyeux Noel well worth watching

Post by Opa »

I bought the movie from amazon.com, and saw it with my eldest son (whom I named for his Opa, who fought in the Vogesen in World War I) yesterday night.

We were very moved.

And considering the "politically correct" racist crap churned out by the reeducated "German" pseudo-intelligentsia since 1968, I could barely believe that a German movie-maker dared to show Germans as decent human beings.
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Post by Doktor Krollspell »

Hello Gentlemen!

I just found the swedish edition of Stanley Weintraub's "Silent Night" (2001), which is largely based on personal anecdotes and some actual photographs... It now lays on my must-read-but-haven't-got-the-time-right-now list... :? It seems to be a very interesting book! Summertime... 8)

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Regards as always,

Krollspell :[]
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John W. Howard
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Movie

Post by John W. Howard »

Hello Folks:
I just watched Joyeux Noel with my father. It was not a perfect film, but I enjoyed it. What interested me most was the interview with the director and how carefully virtually everything in the film was based on real events, documented by official records. If only Hollywood would take the same care to get things right in historical films!!! My father always views such films with a deep sadness; the words "war" and "waste" are synonymous in his vocabulary. He knows war is necessary at times, but it does not change his view. Best wishes.
John W. Howard
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Post by phylo_roadking »

John, it was one of those events where the pure facts themselves are poignant and moving enough without any theatrical embellishment needed. Thankfully.
"Well, my days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle." - Malcolm Reynolds
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Amen

Post by John W. Howard »

Exactly, Phylo. Hollywood has never understood subtlety; some kind of "message" has to be included and arrived at by falsification. It is maddening. Best wishes.
John W. Howard
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