The World is a Stage
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December 25, 1914, was a day unique in the world’s history. Arranging for a truce on Christmas Day, may not have been unique in military campaigns but in 1914, the first year of World War One, this truce was different, for the men climbed out of their trenches to visit with the enemy.
One of the architects of this unusual event was Captain Robert Hamilton of the 1st battalion Royal Warwickshire regiment and he noted in his war diary: “I met this officer and we arranged a local armistice for 48 hours.” The balance of the event unfolded sporadically up and down the Western front. Some regions disregarded the truce totally and fought, others halted long enough to collect bodies, while others some in large sections, embraced this time wholeheartedly.
The Western Front was 450 miles long. Many miles on both sides of the line, were trenches, about seven feet deep and six feet wide, with the top two to three feet sand bags, used to absorb shrapnel and bullets. December of 1914 had been very wet, so many of the men were wallowing in mud. But the temperature dropped on the 24th giving the men a White Christmas.
Between the two sets of trenches, which were often only 10-20 yards apart, was barbed wire, which hindered a rush against your position. Because the trenches were so close British and German men often bantered back and forth asking what they were eating or just taunting each other. Pte H. Scrutton of the Essex Reg. noted the following conversation on that auspicious Christmas morning: From the British trenches: "Good morning Fritz." (No answer). "Good morning Fritz." (Still no answer). "GOOD MORNING FRITZ." From German trenches: "Good morning." From our trench: "How are you?" "All right." "Come over here, Fritz." "No. If I come, I get shot." "No you won't. Come on." "No fear." "Come and get some fags, Fritz." "No. You come half way and I meet you." "All right." One of our fellows thereupon stuffed his pocket with fags and got over the trench. The German got over his trench, and right enough they met half way and shook hands, Fitz taking the fags and giving cheese in exchange."
In another section it was the Germans who inspired the meeting. It is the story most of us know and which was immortalized by the ballad written by John McCutcheon and known to Canadians by performer John McDermott’s, Christmas in the Trenches. The Germans began singing Christmas Hymns and Carols. As to whether that was Silent Night is doubtful for as Rifleman Graham Williams noted: 'This was actually the first time I heard this carol, which was not then so popular in this country as it has since become'. He says O Come All Ye Faithful was the hymn which both sides started singing together. Other men wrote in their letters home that in their areas they sang, The First Noel, While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks, O Tannenbaaum and others.
The singing must have helped sooth their ravaged souls enough to slowly climb out of their trenches, I should imagine shaking with fear that they would be immediately shot. But they were not, so slowly both sides met in the middle of No Man’s land where they exchanged food, cigarettes, buttons and other trinkets and shared family photos. Somewhere along the line, a game of football (soccer) was played. It was like a miracle; for a few hours enemies met and realized that ‘at each end of the rifle, we’re the same.’
How could it have happened? Can you imagine in the midst of the hell these men were living in, that a respite like that could ever occur? Perhaps hate was not yet firmly entrenched into their hearts. The war had only be going a few months and both sides believed it would be over by Christmas. Without the communications back then, not even radios, many people had no real idea of why they were fighting. It was enough that their leaders told them must fight the monsters that had wronged them. So they did.
Both sides in 1914 were Christians, men who had gone to church every Sunday that understood the Christian principles of love your neighbours and enemies. Perhaps there was still a glimmer of those principles left in them by that Christmas, and that is why they came together.
If only they had all refused to fight the next day. How could they have started up again, trying to kill the men they had befriend only hours, maybe minutes, before? That must have put each of those men into a deeper depth of their own personal hell. Perhaps that is why the Allied commanders made sure it didn’t happen again in 1915.
There is a public call for a cease fire in Afghanistan this year because it is the 100th anniversary of the first, but we must remember that the other side of the line, unlike Dec. 1914, are not Christians. Now if every religious day of every religion was honoured, we might just be able to stop the men from having to pick up the guns once more.