feature The Great War – Christmas Truce When the First Workd War was declared on 4th August 1914, many thought it would be over in weeks, or ‘surely by Christmas!’ But by December, it had raged for nearly five months with no sign of an end to the fighting. Over 1,200,000 soldiers from both sides had been killed, injured or were missing – presumed dead, in a war that would drag on for four long years and see millions more die. With so many casualties, there were calls for a truce from neutral countries including the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland, but this was ignored. Pope Benedict XV who had called the Great War “the suicide of civilised Europe”, appealed for peace, warning that:
“There is no limit to the measure of ruin and of slaughter; day by day the earth is drenched with newly-shed blood, and is covered with the bodies of the wounded and of the slain. Who would imagine, as we see them thus filled with hatred of one another, that they are all of one common stock, all of the same nature, all members of the same human society? In December the Pope again made an appeal for a temporary truce asking, “that the guns may fall silent at least upon the night the angels sang.” But the warring countries refused to create an official cease-fire. For the British, General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien issued instructions to all commanders at the front.
“It is during this period that the greatest danger to the morale of troops exists. Experience of this and of every other war proves undoubtedly that troops in trenches in close proximity to the enemy slide very easily, if permitted to do so, into a ‘live and let live’ theory of life…officers and men sink into a military lethargy from which it is difficult to arouse them when the moment for great sacrifices again arises…the attitude of our troops can be readily understood and to a certain extent commands sympathy…such an attitude is however most dangerous for it discourages initiative in commanders and destroys the offensive spirit in all ranks…the Corps Commander therefore directs Divisional Commanders to impress on subordinate commanders the absolute necessity of encouraging offensive spirit…friendly intercourse with the enemy, unofficial armistices, however tempting and amusing they may be, are absolutely prohibited.” However, with infantry units in such close proximity to each other, (sometimes no more than 30 to 60 yards apart) it was not unusual for the two sides to engage in small-scale fraternisation. In some sectors, there was the occasional ceasefire to allow soldiers to recover wounded or dead comrades.
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“The dead on both sides had been lying out in the open since the fierce night fighting of a week earlier…a large crowd of officers and men, English and German, grouped around the bodies, which had already been gathered together and laid out in rows. It was a ghastly sight. The digging parties were busy on the two big common graves… In the intervals of superintending it we chatted with the Germans, most of whom were quite affable. The digging completed, the graves were filled in, and the German officers remained to pay their tribute of respect while our chaplain read a short service. It was one of the most impressive things I have ever witnessed. Friend and foe stood side-by-side, bare-headed, watching the tall, grave figure of the padre outlined against the frosty landscape as he blessed the poor broken bodies at his feet. Then with more formal salutes we turned and made our way back to our respective ruts.” Although there was no ‘official’ truce, it was estimated that some 100,000 British and German troops were involved in these ‘unofficial cessations of fighting’ along the length of the Western Front.
“…it will surprise you to learn that the soldiers in both lines of trenches have become very ‘pally’ with each other. The trenches are only 60 yards apart at one place, and every morning about breakfast-time one of the soldiers sticks a board in the air. As soon as this board goes up all firing ceases, and men from either side draw their water and rations. All through the breakfast hour, and so long as this board is up, silence reigns supreme, but whenever the board comes down the first unlucky devil who shows even so much as a hand gets a bullet through it.” Christmas Eve 1914, began with clear skies and a hard frost – a great improvement from the constant torrent of heavy rain they had seen in the preceding weeks and the change made life in the trenches a little more bearable. Parcels arrived from home, packed with goodies and were distributed to the soldiers. The troops also received a plum pudding from the Daily Mail, chocolates from Cadburys and a ‘Princess Mary box’. This metal case, engraved with an outline of King George V’s daughter, contained: For the smoker – one ounce of tobacco, a packet of 20 cigarettes wrapped in yellow, continued on page 10
Princess Mary box
