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Below is a short extract of his
personal experience of the Christmas Truce.
Towards evening the Germs became very hilarious,
singing and shouting out to us. They said in English that if we did not fire
they would not, and eventually it was arranged that shots should not be
exchanged. With this they lit fires outside their trench, and sat round and
commenced a concert, incidentally singing some English songs to the
accompaniment of a bugle band. A German officer carrying a lantern came
slightly forward and asked to see one of our officers to arrange a truce for
tomorrow (Xmas day).
An officer went out (after we had stood at our posts with rifles loaded in case
of treachery) and arrangements were made that between 10 am and 12 noon, and
from 2.00 pm to 4.00 pm tomorrow, intercourse between the Germs and ourselves
should take place. It was a beautiful night and a sharp frost set in, and when we
awoke in the morning the ground was covered with a white raiment. It was indeed
an ideal Christmas, and the spirit of peace and goodwill was very striking in
comparison with the hatred and death-dealing of the past few months. One
appreciated in a new light the meaning of Christianity, for it certainly was
marvellous that such a change in the attitude of the opposing armies could be
wrought by an Event which happened nigh on 2000 years ago.
25.12.1914 (Xmas
day)
During the night two men were reported to be missing and I had to go out early
in the morning on my cycle to try to find them. I went to the Dressing Station
in Chappelle d'Armentieres a mile or so away, but they had not been there.
Later in the day the Bosches told us that two men the night before had walked
into their trench in a state which proved that they had "drunk of the
loving cup, not wisely, but too well". We asked that they should be
returned to us, but they refused on account of the fact that these men had seen
the position of their machine guns. They promised, however, to wire to their
headquarters, and see what could be done in the matter. Later we were informed
that it had been decided to intern them in a Civilian Camp, and not treat them
as prisoners of war, so as this seemed fair and the only course open we left it
at that.
At 9 am as I was off duty I received permission to go to Mass at a Church which
I had discovered whilst hunting for the missing men. This Church was terribly
shelled, and was within the range of rifle fire, as was clearly proved by the
condition of the wall facing the trenches, and no effort had been made to clear
the wreckage, as to attempt this would have been fraught with danger. A priest,
however, had come in from Armentieres to minister to the few people who were
still living in the district. In this Church which would hold about 300, there
were some 30 people, and I was the only soldier. It was indeed a unique
service, and during a short address which the priest gave I was about the only
one who was not crying, and that because I did not understand much of what was
being said.
I returned to headquarters and went on duty from noon to 2 PM, during which
time I partook of my Christmas Fair which consisted of "Bully",
"Spuds", Xmas pudding, and vin rouge, which latter we found in one of
the cellars on the farm.
In the afternoon I went out and had a chat with "our friends the
enemy". Many of the Germs had costumes on which had been taken from the
houses nearby, and one facetious fellow had a blouse, skirt, top hat, and
umbrella, which grotesque figure caused much merriment. Various souvenirs were
exchanged which I managed to send home. We also had an opportunity of seeing
the famous Iron Cross which some of the men wore attached to a black and white
riband. These crosses are very well made and have an edging of silver. The
man's name is engraved on one side, and the reason of the award briefly stated
on the other. I have also a number of Germ signatures and addresses on a fly
leaf of my "Active Service Pay Book" and it was arranged that at the
end of the war we would write one to the other if we came through safely.
The Germs wanted to continue a partial truce until the New Year, for as some of
them said, they were heartily sick of the war, and did not want to fight, but
as we were leaving the trenches early next morning, and naturally did not want
them to know, we insisted on the truce ending at midnight, at which time our
artillery sent over to them four shells of small calibre to let them know that
the truce, at which the whole World would wonder, was ended, and in its place,
death and bloodshed would once more reign supreme.
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