Christmas 1914

100 years ago this Christmas the allied forces were bogged down in trenches facing the German Army. In the trenches at Ploegsteert, near Ypres, with the London Rifle Brigade was my 21 year old grandfather George whose initial euphoria about going to war was fading.  In letters written in December a century ago to his mother Charlotte here in Cadbury he said “ the flat country, the awful mud and wet- in fact I feel sometimes what is it all for.. I feel so homesick so often and then fancy death.” The barrage of the guns was unceasing and relentless. Then a wonderful thing happened...

In George’s own words in letters to his mother and his father written at Christmas in 1914 he said “It was the most extraordinary thing I have ever known was the Christmas Day truce. I will tell you about it when I return. I gave a match box that Harriet gave me years ago to a German officer as my souvenir. I hope to get it back.

 I had to superintend my platoon working in front of some trenches on Christmas Eve. It was freezing as hard as nails just as you were burning the log at Fursdon. How I thought of you. But the Germans did not fire at all. Instead they had 3 huge Christmas trees (of course we did not fire) and they sang hymns and then we in our trenches sang carols and we cheered each other and then they had a cornet and played different tunes which we encored and applauded. Thus passed Christmas Eve. Yet to think that 6 hours before we were trying to kill each other. 

Then on Christmas morning we put our heads over the trenches and waved to one another (no firing) and as we had 5 German dead in front of our trenches I walked out with a corporal and signalled to the Germans to meet us half way- the trenches are only 50 yards apart-they came out and they spoke English and I explained and they were pleased. One of the men I spoke to was a hairdresser in Liverpool Street. They spoke very good English and they were not keen to start fighting again. So we carried their dead half way out and they took them and buried them. They then had a short service and their officer made a short speech in which they thanked us for our kindness and then we exchanged souvenirs, shook hands and went back to our trenches. Thus there was a mutual truce on Christmas day. Afterwards we still waved etc and still the truce continues".

I am going to read this passage at our village Carol Service on 18th December and it will be followed by the carol “Silent Night” which was one of the carols sung that Christmas in Flanders. We hope that the choir will be singing the opening verse of the carol in German.