Fleeting peace in a war of atrocities

The war that was meant to be over by Christmas was still going in December 1914. Then for a brief moment opponents stopped killing each other to observe the festive season.

1914 : Soldiers take a break during the unofficial Christmas truce in 1914, during World War i [One] when British and German soldiers stopped fighting over Christmas. The event is featured in TV documentary film "The Christmas Truce".

In the first months of World War I it was often said, “It will all be over by Christmas”.

Hostilities began in August and by December the battles had become bogged down into a war of attrition, fought from opposing trenches. As Christmas 1914 approached, hopes that it would all be over soon were beginning to fade.

Then on Christmas Eve, a century ago, something incredible happened. At several places along the front line, ­enemies joined together in an unofficial cease fire. It has ­become known as the Christmas Truce, a brief moment of humanity in a long war of ­unprecedented carnage.

The conflict had begun in August with Germany invading Belgium in an attempt to quickly sweep through to France and capture Paris before the French could adequately mount a resistance. The German thrust had been halted at the Battle of the Marne in September, during which a fleet of Paris taxi cabs played a crucial role in transporting troops to the battle front.

The Germans had fallen back and the Allies launched their own offensive with a major thrust through the Belgian town of Ypres in late October. By late November the marches and charges across open land had stalled as both sides dug in, creating miles of trenches in a ragged line from the Swiss border to the coast of the North Sea.

The opposing trenches were often close enough for both sides to hear the other side talking. They often amused themselves by shouting out insults or greetings to one another. As Christmas drew closer the men realised there was little chance they would make it home for the holiday. The prospect of having to spend Christmas in the trenches, under fire, sloshing around in mud and exposed to the increasing cold threatened to have a major impact on the spirit of those at the front.

On the home front there were calls for the fighting to end before the Christmas season and even an attempt by Pope Benedict XV to arrange a temporary truce. Although Germany accepted, the initiative failed.

Preparations were made to do things to help prop up ­morale if the men were still slogging it out in the trenches on December 25. Mail deliveries were stepped up so letters, cards and gifts from home would reach the men in time for Christmas. Thousands of plum puddings were ordered for the British troops and similar festive food arrangements were made for other armies. The 17-year-old Princess Mary even raised funds to give a gift to “every sailor afloat and every soldier at the front.”

In places where there was a lull in the fighting, soldiers on both sides began decorating their trenches with small things in an attempt to create something of a festive spirit. The Germans collected Christmas trees and on Christmas Eve lined their trenches with candles.

Along parts of the front lines British soldiers could hear the Germans singing ­carols. They responded in kind with some carols of their own. Although there had been competitive singing matches across the trenches before this time, it was different. Rather than trying to drown each other out these soldiers were singing for each other.

On Christmas Day some German soldiers made tentative approaches to the opposing trenches, unarmed, some displaying a flag of truce.

It was not unprecedented. There had been unofficial ­truces before to bury the dead and also “breakfast truces” where soldiers had swapped rations, usually by flinging them from trench to trench, but this was clearly driven by goodwill. There were also ­exchanges of food, cigarettes and alcohol, but also soldiers wishing each other a merry Christmas, even playing impromptu football games. Fighting continued at some areas of the front but pockets of peace had broken out.

While some officers actively discouraged this, there is evidence that many saw no harm in briefly meeting the enemy. In some cases it allowed soldiers to do a reconnoitre of enemy trenches.

At the end of the day the men returned to their trenches and later an artillery barrage ended any thoughts of the truce lasting longer.

There were no similar incidents through the rest of the war. Although the truce was widely publicised at the time, and there are official reports from officers at the front to verify it, as memory of it faded many people began to doubt it had ever happened.

In recent times books, films and even a video clip by Paul McCartney for his song Pipes Of Peace have reminded people of this small, spontaneous outbreak of peace.

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