Red James Cash
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- Aug 20, 2009
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World war one christmas truce and soccer match
In the winter of 1914, German and British soldiers spent Christmas Eve in the trenches, wading through mud, supplies and the corpses of their fallen friends. Their main activity was dodging the bullets from the enemy bunkers that were sometimes just 60 yards away.
To raise their sinking morale, both armiesā governments sent their troops Christmas packages, including cognac, plum pudding, cake, tobacco and even Christmas trees. What happened next made headlines around the world.
From Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce, via Snopes:
[T]he Germans set trees on trench parapets and lit the candles. Then, they began singing carols, and though their language was unfamiliar to their enemies, the tunes were not. After a few trees were shot at, the British became more curious than belligerent and crawled forward to watch and listen. And after a while, they began to sing.
By Christmas morning, the āno manās landā between the trenches was filled with fraternizing soldiers, sharing rations and gifts, singing and (more solemnly) burying their dead between the lines. Soon they were even playing soccer, mostly with improvised balls.
According to the official war diary of the 133rd Saxon Regiment, āTommy and Fritzā kicked about a real football supplied by a Scot. āThis developed into a regulation football match with caps casually laid out as goals. The frozen ground was no great matter [ā¦] The game ended 3-2 for Fritz.ā
I was skeptical when I first read about this ā partially because it seems to have made the rounds of the Internet as a give-peace-a-chance-type chain e-mail ā but thereās a ton of evidence for it. Hereās the text of an unknown soldierās Christmas letter home, which was apparently bought by singer Chris de Burgh for $29,000:
truce_news.jpg
This will be the most memorable Christmas Iāve ever spent or likely to spend: since about tea time yesterday I donāt think theres been a shot fired on either side up to now. Last night turned a very clear frost moonlight night, so soon after dusk we had some decent fires going and had a few carols and songs. The Germans commenced by placing lights all along the edge of their trenches and coming over to usāwishing us a Happy Christmas etc. They also gave us a few songs etc. so we had quite a social party. Several of them can speak English very well so we had a few conversations. Some of our chaps went to over to their lines. I think theyve all come back bar one from āEā Co. They no doubt kept him as a souvenir. In spite of our fires etc. it was terribly cold and a job to sleep between look out duties, which are two hours in every six.
First thing this morning it was very foggy. So we stood to arms a little longer than usual. A few of us that were lucky could go to Holy Communion early this morning. It was celebrated in a ruined farm about 500 yds behind us. I unfortunately couldnāt go. There must be something in the spirit of Christmas as to day we are all on top of our trenches running about. Whereas other days we have to keep our heads well down. We had breakfast about 8.0 which went down alright especially some cocoa we made. We also had some of the post this morning. I had a parcel from B. Gās Lace Dept containing a sweater, smokes, under clothes etc. We also had a card from the Queen, which I am sending back to you to look after please. After breakfast we had a game of football at the back of our trenches! Weāve had a few Germans over to see us this morning. They also sent a party over to bury a sniper we shot in the week. He was about a 100 yds from our trench. A few of our fellows went out and helped to bury him.
About 10.30 we had a short church parade the morning service etc. held in the trench. How we did sing. āO come all ye faithful. And While shepherds watched their flocks by nightā were the hymns we had. At present we are cooking our Christmas Dinner! so will finish this letter later.
Dinner is over! and well we enjoyed it. Our dinner party started off with fried bacon and dip-bread: followed by hot Xmas Pudding. I had a mascot in my piece. Next item on the menu was muscatels and almonds, oranges, bananas, chocolate etc followed by cocoa and smokes. You can guess we thought of the dinners at home. Just before dinner I had the pleasure of shaking hands with several Germans: a party of them came 1/2way over to us so several of us went out to them. I exchanged one of my balaclavas for a hat. Iāve also got a button off one of their tunics. We also exchanged smokes etc. and had a decent chat. They say they wonāt fire tomorrow if we donāt so I suppose we shall get a bit of a holidayāperhaps. After exchanging autographs and them wishing us a Happy New Year we departed and came back and had our dinner.
We can hardly believe that weāve been firing at them for the last week or twoāit all seems so strange. At present its freezing hard and everything is covered with iceā¦
In the winter of 1914, German and British soldiers spent Christmas Eve in the trenches, wading through mud, supplies and the corpses of their fallen friends. Their main activity was dodging the bullets from the enemy bunkers that were sometimes just 60 yards away.
To raise their sinking morale, both armiesā governments sent their troops Christmas packages, including cognac, plum pudding, cake, tobacco and even Christmas trees. What happened next made headlines around the world.
From Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce, via Snopes:
[T]he Germans set trees on trench parapets and lit the candles. Then, they began singing carols, and though their language was unfamiliar to their enemies, the tunes were not. After a few trees were shot at, the British became more curious than belligerent and crawled forward to watch and listen. And after a while, they began to sing.
By Christmas morning, the āno manās landā between the trenches was filled with fraternizing soldiers, sharing rations and gifts, singing and (more solemnly) burying their dead between the lines. Soon they were even playing soccer, mostly with improvised balls.
According to the official war diary of the 133rd Saxon Regiment, āTommy and Fritzā kicked about a real football supplied by a Scot. āThis developed into a regulation football match with caps casually laid out as goals. The frozen ground was no great matter [ā¦] The game ended 3-2 for Fritz.ā
I was skeptical when I first read about this ā partially because it seems to have made the rounds of the Internet as a give-peace-a-chance-type chain e-mail ā but thereās a ton of evidence for it. Hereās the text of an unknown soldierās Christmas letter home, which was apparently bought by singer Chris de Burgh for $29,000:
truce_news.jpg
This will be the most memorable Christmas Iāve ever spent or likely to spend: since about tea time yesterday I donāt think theres been a shot fired on either side up to now. Last night turned a very clear frost moonlight night, so soon after dusk we had some decent fires going and had a few carols and songs. The Germans commenced by placing lights all along the edge of their trenches and coming over to usāwishing us a Happy Christmas etc. They also gave us a few songs etc. so we had quite a social party. Several of them can speak English very well so we had a few conversations. Some of our chaps went to over to their lines. I think theyve all come back bar one from āEā Co. They no doubt kept him as a souvenir. In spite of our fires etc. it was terribly cold and a job to sleep between look out duties, which are two hours in every six.
First thing this morning it was very foggy. So we stood to arms a little longer than usual. A few of us that were lucky could go to Holy Communion early this morning. It was celebrated in a ruined farm about 500 yds behind us. I unfortunately couldnāt go. There must be something in the spirit of Christmas as to day we are all on top of our trenches running about. Whereas other days we have to keep our heads well down. We had breakfast about 8.0 which went down alright especially some cocoa we made. We also had some of the post this morning. I had a parcel from B. Gās Lace Dept containing a sweater, smokes, under clothes etc. We also had a card from the Queen, which I am sending back to you to look after please. After breakfast we had a game of football at the back of our trenches! Weāve had a few Germans over to see us this morning. They also sent a party over to bury a sniper we shot in the week. He was about a 100 yds from our trench. A few of our fellows went out and helped to bury him.
About 10.30 we had a short church parade the morning service etc. held in the trench. How we did sing. āO come all ye faithful. And While shepherds watched their flocks by nightā were the hymns we had. At present we are cooking our Christmas Dinner! so will finish this letter later.
Dinner is over! and well we enjoyed it. Our dinner party started off with fried bacon and dip-bread: followed by hot Xmas Pudding. I had a mascot in my piece. Next item on the menu was muscatels and almonds, oranges, bananas, chocolate etc followed by cocoa and smokes. You can guess we thought of the dinners at home. Just before dinner I had the pleasure of shaking hands with several Germans: a party of them came 1/2way over to us so several of us went out to them. I exchanged one of my balaclavas for a hat. Iāve also got a button off one of their tunics. We also exchanged smokes etc. and had a decent chat. They say they wonāt fire tomorrow if we donāt so I suppose we shall get a bit of a holidayāperhaps. After exchanging autographs and them wishing us a Happy New Year we departed and came back and had our dinner.
We can hardly believe that weāve been firing at them for the last week or twoāit all seems so strange. At present its freezing hard and everything is covered with iceā¦
Yup Peachy. I believe i already saw it,i'll have to take a look though lol. I watch a lot of foreign movies so im use to subtitles.
. Heres a movie site i go to,Lot of movies most of them free to watch. 
