Christmas Truces
During the first eight months of World War I, the German attack through Belgium into France had been stopped outside Paris
by French and British troops at the First Battle of the Marne in early September 1914.
The Khaki Chum's Christmas Truce 1914
London News's illustration of the Christmas Truce: "British and German Soldiers Arm-in-Arm Exchanging Headgear
The subcaption reads "Saxons and Anglo-Saxons fraternising on the field of battle at the season of peace and goodwill: Officers and men from the German and British trenches meet and greet one another-A German officer photographing a group of foes and friends."
In the week leading up to 25 December, French, German and British soldiers crossed trenches to exchange seasonal greetings and talk. In some areas, men from both sides ventured into no man's land on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to mingle and exchange food and souvenirs. There were joint burial ceremonies and prisoner swaps, while several meetings ended in carol-singing. Men played games of football (soccer) with one another, creating one of the most memorable images of the truce. Hostilities continued in some sectors, while in others the sides settled on little more than arrangements to recover bodies.
The truces were not unique to the Christmas period and reflected a mood of "live and let live", where infantry close together would stop overtly aggressive behaviour and often engage in small-scale fraternisation, engaging in conversation or bartering for cigarettes. In some sectors, there were occasional ceasefires to allow soldiers to go between the lines and recover wounded or dead comrades; in others, there was a tacit agreement not to shoot while men rested, exercised or worked in view of the enemy. The Christmas truces were particularly significant due to the number of men involved and the level of their participation-even in quiet sectors, dozens of men openly congregating in daylight was remarkable-and are often seen as a symbolic moment of peace and humanity amidst one of the most violent events of human history.
A cross, left in Saint-Yves (Saint-Yvon - Ploegsteert; Comines-Warneton in Belgium) in 1999, to commemorate the site of the Christmas Truce. The text reads: "1914 - The Khaki Chum's Christmas Truce - 1999 - 85 Years - Lest We Forget" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce
Happy Xmas (War Is Over) · John Lennon · Yoko Ono
Imagine ℗ 2018
dr. π (pi)
.
by French and British troops at the First Battle of the Marne in early September 1914.
The Khaki Chum's Christmas Truce 1914
London News's illustration of the Christmas Truce: "British and German Soldiers Arm-in-Arm Exchanging Headgear
The subcaption reads "Saxons and Anglo-Saxons fraternising on the field of battle at the season of peace and goodwill: Officers and men from the German and British trenches meet and greet one another-A German officer photographing a group of foes and friends."
In the week leading up to 25 December, French, German and British soldiers crossed trenches to exchange seasonal greetings and talk. In some areas, men from both sides ventured into no man's land on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to mingle and exchange food and souvenirs. There were joint burial ceremonies and prisoner swaps, while several meetings ended in carol-singing. Men played games of football (soccer) with one another, creating one of the most memorable images of the truce. Hostilities continued in some sectors, while in others the sides settled on little more than arrangements to recover bodies.
The truces were not unique to the Christmas period and reflected a mood of "live and let live", where infantry close together would stop overtly aggressive behaviour and often engage in small-scale fraternisation, engaging in conversation or bartering for cigarettes. In some sectors, there were occasional ceasefires to allow soldiers to go between the lines and recover wounded or dead comrades; in others, there was a tacit agreement not to shoot while men rested, exercised or worked in view of the enemy. The Christmas truces were particularly significant due to the number of men involved and the level of their participation-even in quiet sectors, dozens of men openly congregating in daylight was remarkable-and are often seen as a symbolic moment of peace and humanity amidst one of the most violent events of human history.
A cross, left in Saint-Yves (Saint-Yvon - Ploegsteert; Comines-Warneton in Belgium) in 1999, to commemorate the site of the Christmas Truce. The text reads: "1914 - The Khaki Chum's Christmas Truce - 1999 - 85 Years - Lest We Forget" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce
Happy Xmas (War Is Over) · John Lennon · Yoko Ono
Click to viewImagine ℗ 2018
dr. π (pi)
.