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Background Information
The Christmas Truce
Perhaps anticipating some seasonal cessation of hostilities
during the first Christmas of a world war, the British High
Command, on Christmas Eve 1914, directed: 'It is thought possible
the enemy may be contemplating an attack during Christmas or New
Year. Special vigilance will be maintained during this
period.'
During a hard overnight frost on Christmas Eve, a reverent
rendition of 'Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht' (Silent Night) from a
German baritone wafted through the calm air across No Man's Land.
In reply, British soldiers carolled 'The First Noöl',
receiving warm applause from the Germans who, in turn, serenaded
with 'O Tannenbaum' (O Christmas Tree). A moment of hope.
Small Christmas trees, decorated with twinkling candles, began
appearing on the parapets of German trenches along two-thirds of
the 400-mile trench battlefronts of northern France and Belgium.
(Prince Albert introduced into England the long-established German
tradition of decorating homes with Christmas trees in the
mid-1800s.)
In his diary, one German officer recorded: 'One of the lads from
our company waved a placard over the trench with the inscription
"Happy Christmas". Soon the British did the same. One Englishman
called out to ask us in good German whether we wanted to take away
the dead which lay between the two positions. (At that point there
were between fifty and sixty dead in front of our company's
sector.) After a short pause for thought, we agreed, and some of
our lads left the trenches at the same time as the British. Later,
the British again asked us to sing Christmas carols.'
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Together Saxons and Anglo-Saxons shared in joint prayer sessions
and buried their fallen comrades on No Man's Land. Many exchanged
greetings, addresses and souvenirs. The Germans shared their
supplies of beer, sauerkraut and sausages and the British responded
with chocolate, bully beef
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'When it was discovered that there were barbers among the
enemy,' said several Tommies (Privates in the British Army), 'a
number of our men were shaved by them in No Man's Land.'
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