The Xmas Ceasefire of December 1914

At the outbreak of World War I in 1914, most people thought it would be concluded by Xmas

. Devoted young men were anxious to sign up for the army as soon as possible as they feared they would miss out on the action. In spite of this, history has shown that their positive outlook was misguided as the war would not cease till 1918. The German advance was halted at the 1st Battle of Marne and the drive for the sea began as the Allies and Germans both dug in. It was the start of the trench warfare of the Western Front.

The consequence was lines of trenches winding from the North Sea to Switzerland along a 440 mile front. The battle lines moved very little as a conflict of attrition broke out. Initial trenches weren't well built and were liable to collapse. Even by trench warfare standards, 1914 was pretty lousy. As winter approached, the infantry on the front line knew that the war would not be all over by Xmas.

The Western Front ran through both Belgium and France with soldiers from France, Belgium and United Kingdom manning various sections. In some sectors, the German trenches were less than 30 yards away. Being in such close proximity allowed the troops to shout at their opponents or even display signs. On the German belt buckles was the inscription "Gott Mitt Uns" (God is with us). The British reply was "We've got mittens too". Some of the verbal exchanges were a bit more black humour. A volley of shots would get the response "Missed" or "Left a bit".

Regardless, it was these exchanges that laid the foundations of some surprising moments along the Western Front on 24th December 1914. The Germans celebrate Xmas on the 24th as opposed to Great Britain and France who celebrate on the 25th). The weather had got better and on the 24th, the noises from the German trenches were different. They began singing carols and set Xmas Trees along their trenches. Men started calling to each other and eventually, some ventured into no mans land where they chatted and swapped cigarettes, food and souvenirs. Stories of the ceasefire can vary as there were actually a handful of truces throughout the lines. They were mainly in the sections manned by the British as the Germans had occupied Belgium and French land so the Christmas spirit was less in evidence amongst these troops.

The Xmas Creasefire of 1914 was not official but as many as 100,000 infantry were assumed to have been involved. As well as fraternisation, the chance was also taken to reclaim and bury the fallen. One of the most notable parts of the truce was the football match between the British and Germans. There are a lot of conflicting accounts in relation to the match with a number of finals scores. This would suggest there were various games at various places.

The length of time the truce lasted also varied although in general, it was over on Christmas Day. Generally, the war resumed by mutual understanding. In one case, on the morning of the 26th December 1914, Captain Stockwell of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers fired into the air and stood above the parapet. His counterpart in the German trench also stood up, they saluted and stepped down. Captain Stockwell heard the German fire a couple of shots into the air and World War I resumed. Nevertheless, the Christmas Truce was very much against the wishes of British commanders and in the following years, artillery barrages were ordered for Christmas Eve.

In 2008, a plaque to the Christmas Truce on the Western Front was unveiled at the village on Frelinghen and was the 1st memorial to the happenings of Christmas 1914. The legacy the truce left behind is substantial with a lot of books being authored and it was also the inspiration for various songs.

The Xmas Ceasefire of December 1914

By: Rob

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