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The Christmas Truce has become an enduring image of the triumph of man's spirit over adversity. What really happened in No Man's Land between British and German infantry, in December 1914?
This photo, taken on Rifleman Turner's 'pocket camera' and sent by Rifleman J. Selby Grigg to London newspapers for publication, is of Riflemen Andrew and Grigg posing with Saxons of the 104th and 106th Regiments.
Men of the London Rifle Brigade (L R B) meet the enemy in no man's land, Christmas Day, 1914.
Once the fighting of the First Battle of Ypres died down in November 1914, British units that had been holding the Ypres Salient were relieved by French ones. By December, the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was holding a continuous sector of the Western Front, from a little south of St Eloi, round past Armentières to Neuve Chapelle, past Festubert and to the La Bassée Canal at Givenchy.
The British Army in France now consisted of the shattered units of the regular army, most of which had been all but destroyed at Ypres and which were in the process of being rebuilt by receiving new drafts, with the welcome addition of two Divisions making up the Indian Corps and some units of the Territorial Force.
The position being held consisted of crude trenches and breastworks. The weather had been continuously wet for some time, and conditions were particularly trying.
Under strong French pressure to take the initiative, the army was ordered into a series of small piecemeal attacks that proved to be very costly. An example is the attack of 8th Brigade at Wytschaete on 14 December 1914. Cut down by rifle and machine gun fire and unable to enter enemy trenches, the attacking units left many casualties lying in no man's land and on the enemy barbed wire defences.
The static and dull nature of trench warfare and the close proximity of the enemy (which meant that they could be heard, and their breakfast cooking smelled, although rarely seen) caused many men to be curious about the men they were facing. They were certainly facing the same conditions of wet and cold, and in a strange way a mutual respect developed. There were occasional shouted conversations between trenches, and the odd instance of exchange of goods. However, to be too adventurous spelled death, for men were continually lost to sniper fire.
Early in December 1914 tremendous volumes of mail and gifts for the troops were sent from homes in the United Kingdom and Germany. King George V sent a Christmas card to every soldier, sailor and nurse; the Princess Mary fund despatched a gift box to every serving soldier which overloaded an already 'stretched' postal network - details below.
23 December 1914:
A German soldier, Karl Aldag, reports that both sides had been heard singing hymns in the trenches. German troops coming into the lines bring Christmas trees. Some men begin to place them on the parapets of the fire trenches. Local truce on the front of 23rd Brigade.
24 December 1914, Christmas Eve:
The weather changes to a hard frost. This makes trench conditions a little more bearable. 98 British soldiers die on this day, many are victims of sniper fire. A German aeroplane drops a bomb on Dover: the first air raid in British history. During the afternoon and early evening, British infantry are astonished to see many Christmas trees with candles and paper lanterns, on enemy parapets. There is much singing of carols, hymns and popular songs, and a gradual exchange of communication and even meetings in some areas. Many of thes meetings are to arrange collection of bodies. In other places, firing continues. Battalion officers are uncertain how to react; in general they maintain precautions. The night brings a clear, still air with a hard frost.
25 December 1914, Christmas Day:
'We found we were to bury our comrades that fell in the charge on the 18th of Dec. So we all started digging and buring them side by side and made them a Cross out of the wood of a biscuit box and laid them to rest'. (Anon diary, Border Regt.)
Men of 20th Brigade bury their dead of the attack of 18 December, alongside German soldiers engaged in the same offensive. Christmas Day, 1914 - reparations for the joint burial near Rue Petillon and the Sailly-Fromelles road. The soldier with the shovel, left is Sergeant Cyril Luckin, 55 Field Company, Royal Engineers.
Units behind the lines attend church services and have in most cases arranged Christmas dinners which are taken in barns and shattered buildings. In the front lines, the fraternisation of Christmas Eve is continued throughout the day; not all units know about it, and it is not universal but is widespread over at least half of the British front. Many bodies that have been lying out in no man's land are buried, some in joint burials. Many men record the strange and wonderful events; may men exchange tokens or addresses with German soldiers, many of whom speak English. 81 British soldiers die on this day; a few die in areas that are otherwise peaceful and with fraternisation going on, victims of alert snipers. In other areas, there is considerable activity: 2nd Grenadier Guards suffer losses in a day of heavy fighting. As night fell, things grew quiet as men fell back to their trenches to take whatever Christmas meal that had been provided for them.
26 December 1914, Boxing Day:
'They were very nice fellows to look at... and one of them said, "We don't want to kill you and you don't want to kill us. So why shoot?"... I lined them all up and took a photograph'.
British and German troops meet in No Man's Land. Boxing Day, 1914. Photographed by 2nd Lt Cyril Drummond, RFA.
Some snow. In some areas, the friendly spirit was resumed. Gradually however, officers and men on both sides began to resume normal trench caution. The atmosphere in general remained relaxed as Brigade and Battalion officre stook a pragmatic view of events. The chance was taken to carry out work that would otherwise have been hazardous. By now, however, news of the truce was reaching higher commands. General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien requested particulars of those units and officers who took part, with a view to disciplinary action. In the event, no action was taken against any unit or officer. 62 British soldiers die on this day.
27-31 December 1914:
The weather turns wet again, with rain, sleet and storms. There were instances of men disappearing in the flooded trenches. Yet in some areas the friendly mood remained for several days and there was almost no firing, although open fraternisation gradually died away. On New Years Eve, there was a certain amount of singing and exchange of messages, but no truce as such.
Football match in no man's land: It is by no means clear that such an event took place, although many men report that it happened to a neighbouring unit. Mention appears in the war diary of the 1/6th Cheshire. A common theme is a score of 3-2 to the Germans.
There was much taking of photographs on Christmas Day 1914, enemy photographing enemy, enemy standing cheerfully side by side with enemy as cameras 'clicked'. In the early days of the war there were many private cameras, both British and German, at the front. Officers and men had 'tucked their Kodaks' [cameras] into their bags as they marched to war - much as if they were going on a prolonged exciting holiday. However, there was a crack-down on the use of such cameras after Christmas 1914 with the arrival of the 'official war photographers'.
Extracts taken from the 1984 fine book by Malcolm Browm and Shirley Seaton 'CHRISTMAS TRUCE' - The Western Front, December 1914.
Former Postman 'Killed in Action' on Christmas Day 1914:
A 39 year old former postman from Monmouth, Sergeant Frank Collins, was killed by being shot in the back. The action he was engaged was taking *Woodbines, as a Christmas present, to the enemy.
[*Woodbines were cigarettes. They were a cheap cigarette, invented in 1888 by William Henry Wills and George Alfred Wills, had no modern filter tips. The brand was the favourite smoke of soldiers in the First World War, so that Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy, a chaplain who brought succour to troops at the front by handing out boxes of 'fags', became celebrated as 'Woodbine Willie'.]
Contents of gift boxes issued to British Soldiers at The Front in France:
Smokers: The embossed brass box, a pipe, an ounce of tobacco, a packet of cigarettes (20), a tinder lighter or one of the miscellaneous articles supplied in place thereof, a Christmas card and a picture of HRH The Princess Mary.
Non-Smokers: The embossed brass box, a packet of acid tablets, a khaki writing case, a Christmas card and a picture of HRH.
The Princess Mary 1914 Christmas Gift:
In November 1914, an advertisement was placed in the national press inviting monetary contributions to a 'Sailors & Soldiers Christmas Fund' which had been created by Princess Mary, the seventeen year old daughter of King George V and Queen Mary. The purpose was to provide everyone wearing the King's uniform and serving overseas on Christmas Day 1914 with a 'gift from the nation'.
The response was truly overwhelming, and it was decided to spend the money on an embossed brass box, based on a design by Messrs Adshead and Ramsey. The contents varied considerably; officers and men on active service afloat or at the front received a box containing a combination of pipe, lighter, 1 oz of tobacco and twenty cigarettes in distinctive yellow monogrammed wrappers. Non-smokers and boys received a bullet pencil and a packet of sweets instead. Indian troops often got sweets and spices, and nurses were treated to chocolate. Many of these items were despatched separately from the tins themselves, as once the standard issue of tobacco and cigarettes was placed in the tin there was little room for much else apart from the greeting card.
HRH Princess Mary
The 'tin' itself was approximately 5" long by 3¼" wide by 1¼" deep with a double-skinned, hinged, lid. The surface of the lid depicts the head of Princess Mary in the centre, surrounded by a laurel wreath and flanked on either side by the 'M' monogram. At the top, a decorative cartouche contains the words 'Imperium Britannicum' with a sword and scabbard either side. On the lower edge, another cartouche contains the words 'Christmas 1914', which is flanked by the bows of battleships forging through a heavy sea. In the corners, small roundels house the names of the Allies: Belgium, Japan, Montenegro and Servia; France and Russia are at the edges, each superimposed on three furled flags or standards.
All boxes, irrespective of recipient, contained a Christmas card and a picture of the Princess. Those which were not distributed until after Christmas were sent out with a card wishing the recipient a 'victorious new year'.
The wounded on leave or in hospital, nurses, and the widows or parents of those killed were also entitled to the gift. Prisoners of war at the time had theirs reserved until they were repatriated.
Great efforts were made to distribute the gifts in time for Christmas, and huge demands were made on an already stretched postal service. More than 355,000 were successfully delivered by the deadline. As time pressed on, a shortage of brass meant that many entitled personnel did not receive their gift until as late as the summer of 1916, and in January 1919 it was reported that 'considerable' numbers had still not been distributed.
Orders for brass strip were placed with the USA, who were not yet involved in the war, and a large consignment was lost with the ship 'Lusitania'. As so much brass was being consumed in the production of weapons and munitions, the quality of the boxes which were manufactured late on was poor, being of a plated inferior alloy, when compared with the earlier pure brass examples.
When the fund finally closed in 1920, almost £200,000 had been donated for the provision of more than two and a half million boxes with contents.
