The Christmas Truce
The Christmas Truce of 1914 occurred on the Western Front during the First World War (1914-18). On Christmas Eve soldiers in the trenches spontaneously agreed to a ceasefire. Beginning with the singing of Christmas carols, the unofficial truce developed into soldiers meeting in no man's land, exchanging gifts, and even playing football together.
The Trenches in December
WWI began in July 1914 and quickly turned into a war of attrition, with frontline troops of the French, German, Belgian, and British armies subjected to the tribulations and horrors of trench warfare. The trenches were abysmal places: constantly flooded, thick mud everywhere, the men constantly subjected to shell fire, machine guns, and the stench of war. One brief respite came at Christmas time, the traditional season of goodwill to all. Pope Benedict XV (in office 1914-1922) had called for a truce on 17 December. The German government agreed to the ceasefire proposal, but the other nations in the war did not.
It seemed, then, that the only consolation and source of festive cheer for the troops on all sides would be their Christmas parcels sent from home. For British troops alone, well over 500,000 parcels were sent to the front in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Parcels from home included food, sweets, cigarettes, pipe tobacco, items of warmer clothing like socks and gloves, small gifts, and, perhaps from the more imaginative relatives, a few simple Christmas decorations. British and British Empire troops, in addition to charity and family parcels, also received a special gift tin from Princess Mary (1897-1965), daughter of King George V (r. 1910-1936). The embossed brass tin, one for every single soldier, contained a Christmas card, photographs of the king and royal family, pipe tobacco, a packet of cigarettes, and a tinder lighter. For those who did not smoke, there was a version with sweets and a pencil case. The king's photograph carried on the reverse the following message: "With our best wishes for Christmas 1914. May God protect you and bring you home safe" while the Christmas card read "With best wishes for a happy Christmas and a victorious New Year" (Brown, 124). Likewise, Wilhelm II, German Emperor (r. 1888-1918) gave a present of a cigar case and cigars to all German soldiers at the front. Wilhelm, German Crown Prince (1882-1951), gave everyone a souvenir pipe with his portrait on it.
Trenches were brightened up using candles, Christmas cards, holly and mistletoe scavenged from nearby forests, and perhaps a small Christmas tree or suitable substitute. German troops, in particular, received thousands of Christmas trees sent from home, and many were placed on the parapets of the trenches. On 23 December, as if in tune with the sentiment of the soldiers, mother nature contributed to the festive scene by ending the dreadful period of rainy weather that had bedevilled the troops since early November. Instead, snow began to fall upon many sections of the front line. The frost that night finally hardened up the mud. Next morning, as Rifleman Bernard Brookes noted in his diary, the effect was "a Christmas card Christmas Eve" (Brown, 60).
Princess Mary's Gift Tin, 1914
Imperial War Museums (CC BY-NC-SA)
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