1955-12-17 — Page 7

THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17,--~1965.

"Play the game!" shouted the Germans. "If you don't shoot, we won't shoot!"

E

THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914

XISTENCE for the British soldier in the trench warfaro

of the latter part of December, 1914, W & N

or

By Crawford Snowden

among

the

There was inuch wonderment British and German company the British watchers commanderz oh Boxing Day when they saw their officer dig morning. The German, polite, wretched in the extreme. appear into the German immaculate, announced that his If ho was not involved in trenches. He was not a man to colonel had ordered renewal of the constant artillery duels take foolish risks, yet this was hostilities at noon that day and

Englishmen like asking to be taken prisoner. might taking Inert in the What possessed him that be so warned to keep down, please?

this llons and costly at- boldly walked Into the desperate

In response to thanks for

the German saluted, templs from time to time to den? Perhaps he hardly knew. courtesy

In the German front lines ho bowed from the waist and capture trenches over wire

was conducted to some German piled: "We are Saxons, you are

word of entanglements and flooded officers who were standing in a Anglo-Sxons; the

"farm gentleman is for us as for you." country and in hand-to-hand group beside a ruined

house. They wrre astonishert

Noon arrived and with it fighting with bayonet and ke him and were at onco tin thrown cross containing the grenade his lol day and to

armed, message "We shoot in the air!" And they stick The unoffelal

Auspicious. night was mud and fee-cold they asked,

And ice in water clothing.

his

-

Was no.

Was he

word

fruce continued.

re-

told, too, of a British C.O, pre- senting A courteous German C.O. with a scarf; and of the German returning the compll- ment next day with pair of warm, woolly gloves.

In most of these Instances of

оти

mporary good feeling a guard

trenches was gainst either enemy approach- being the other's

rigorously kool-though it was said that men of

British regiment WeTC actually wel- comed into the German lines.

Certainly the unoMeinl armis- tice was in many cases no more than a temporary cessation of hostilities. A battalion of the East Lancashire Regiment, for example, was unable to contri. bute to a concert in the German ines, "for no

a

recorda of the

with which it Hymn of Hate, was intended to regale the Hun, were obtainable,"

There is also the story of a gaine "On the

of foothall with the HE

occasions A bitter enemy let no up-

of a gentleman** they in enemy, and of two

No attempt was mixie appar when British and Germans in a enty by either side here to portunity of a strafe go bỵ, aisted,

an unofBelal truce: The British officer repressed body chased a hare in No Man's maugurate Every now and then the

and shopling the East Lancashires' Christmas and laughing mule "O ze word

schoolboys. fury of a howitzer shell

The like

Chr chas Day in the trenches was "at- gomitoman," he answered. its Gend afar

seemed satisfied, ended with a Gernun

eventful." nounced

less hourly, and British soldier falling on

The Sherwood Foresters re- frightful approach. ur Grevbugs, more or

Let's hope heved them on the night of between the hire together S

they tossed for

Christina Day AL thia "whuzz-bangs" shattered the were

tho been without loud-parted friends,

the trench

pusht warning. The

from

Exchange!

The conversati

that fol-

It seems to have

soldter

tirc

Foresters' conmunding

Introur of lowest is not recorded, nor does Saxons and flavarious mainly, if officer was be who, by the end

One of the World's Strangest Stories

sap-

WAS

گیا ہو

The war. was to become Lieutenant-General Sir William Marshall.

TE has written

Honed

that he en

all his company commanders against allowing any truternisation. The Germans were lo be warned if they came out of their trenches that they would be red on They did corne out and protested loudly on being told to get back. Shots were fired over their beads to make them realise the Foresters were in carnest.

"I was glad I had given such arders,"

Marshall in Menu ries of Four Fronts. berate that day almost simi- lar Instrictions

from came Army Beadquarters.

At one point in the Atano Valley. when Germans their trenches on Christmas

left

of

on

This picture from the archives of the Imperial War Museum shows British and

Day shouting

Two days' German officers fraternising in No Man's Land during the unofficial truce, 1914.

trucel the French troops fac- history reveal The name of not exclusively, who succumbed digging and draining,

the that to

strong German tracking them suspected a ruse and

shot them all down.

North the man who suggested ping, filling sandbags

Christmas. Nieuport Day

bo (ional feeling for Christmas

might

the Germans of Baxons case a party

Eve Christmas endless.

observed us a day of rest." In in one

made a fierce along even advised our men to WRIT

French-Belgian all instances elsewhere

attack on the By night there was anxious

the the battallons on their right to schtry duty on the Bre-step, or the front came from

No Germana. into

it was agreed at this stay in their trenches in positions and the Allies made a

successful counter-attack. nerve-trying patrols

would were faced by Prussians whom

Sir Edward Hulse's letler Man's Land It was a period point that the infantry

but the Saxons described as surly another.

stoled that the

In the of inaction on the big scale; not Are on one

answer for ruffians.

trenches nevertheless the enemy

dragged on for nearly sought neither side could

Yet the late Captain Sir Ed-

a week, but with the Worces unceasingly to kill, and death its artillery,

the ward Hulse, Bart., Scots Guards, tershire Regiment it seems stalker the battleground, grimly

1st Battalion of

ve ended at

midnight on taking tall. Trench reliefs Worcester Regiment moved into writing to his mother of

which the

Christmas Day. were invariably accompanied the line on this Christmas Eve. astonishing truce, by ensualties.

They were astonished to find Germans "trusted us implicitly the to keep," tells of English, Scots, ΠΟ and there was suddenly Then, aulte

iring by

Ѕаходя Irish,

the Wurtemburgers, single shot broke without warning, a benigh in- enemy; the silence seemed un-

定額 concluding "It was like a dream," and Prussians

and desultory firing was fluence took hold on the Ger- real, man trenches opposite those of said one soldier in a letter the

11 and III Corps. his familly, British Christmas ho arrived.

THE

HE Kaiser's hole evaporated like a mist from the far side

of No Man's Land, and the war

The

this

have

"Then, after a pause," 633 their regimental history,

(COPYRIGHT)

на

to

silence

Po

to impromptu concert by singing sumed all along the line."

together "Should auld acquaint Christmas Day dawned ano ance be forgot" Sir Edward but misty. Wherever the enemy opposite

were

Suxons or

armed and shovels, came out confidently into No

Bavarians there was peace.

Parties of Germans, only with picks

cante to a dramatic standsull Man's Land to bury their dead. That phenomenon, the Un-******

The British were very glad to oth Truce, had begun.

follow their example. Burying One of the most surprising par

parties met midway between experiences of its beginning the opposing trenches,

Was

that of the officer manding C Company

com-

where-

upon thera were greetings, of the hand

shakes, exchange of

North Staffordshire Regiment. cigarettes for cigars, of plum

Но was having la supper

his dug-out after stand-down when his cornuany sergeant- major put his head in

What am to do, sir?" he cried. The Germans are di ting on their paranets, lighting candies and singing hymns"

Farther along the about

line,

puddings for cognac, of buttons and badges.

Lew Uhlan At one point a

serving iri officers, evidently infantry battalions, came out to pose for photographs of British and German soldiers together.

at could have

but 7.30 p.m., there was showy similar predicament for

grouped

The Uhlan officers como off 10° 10 ceremonial parade

D

the polished and clean they were.

Here and there a Saxon or a

Leinster Regiment, Chineso

lanterns were

yere suddenly hoisted Bavarian was found to speak

on the German parapet.

Leinster sentries Were puzzled: they promptly them to pieces.

The English Quently. One had been less a stop-walker at Selfridges, an- shot other a waiter

at Frascatis, third had played at London

Immediately come shouted music-halls appeals from thuo Germans,

calling on the sentries to cearo

fire. And officers, hurrying out from their dinner, wero astonished to hear from

the

с

NE German soldier told a Scots Guards officer he mis

German trenches, in perfect took for a corporal that he had

English:

repeated again and again.

to

AFTER-DINNER CROSSWORD

ACROSS

Uved just before the war in "Play the game? If you don't Suffolk, where he had left his best girl and a 3-hup. motor- shoot, ice won't shooti»

bicycle.

benign influence that Meantime, the North Staffords brought about this unofficial officer. on going

out to the truce moved the Germans trenches,

learned that a Gor sing hymns, carols, folk-songs--| man soldier in No Man's Land oven Auld Lang Syne. was asking to speak to a British

An exceptionally good per- soldier.

former on the

obliged, cornet The officer climbed over the

from

German trench, with * meet went to

tho top and

"Home, Sweet Home, followed. What to call a schoolboy — or, German. In both trenches eyes by "God Save the King."

lono Needless to say ware fixed on the

there figures silhouetted against the Brillah vocal contributions by night sky. Distant sounds either hand of occasional firing way of response, though they were sometimes soldiers' songs, the murmur · of accompanied their voices.

two

on

word

1. Responsible for a White Christ-

mas (0)

his teacher," (6)

DOWN

1. Suitable gifts for the buildaru-

child (0)

Miny a new one will be turned

over on January 1.

3 Running knots (0)

2.

9. He cooke'

(4)

10. Fancy dress

of Cine goose (4)

7. Bessonable sound made by gill

to boast about?

A disordered; verse is curt. 15. Christmas gifts

dinoverment? (1)

o not quite drawing-room.

On the front of the third battalion the Ride Brizade, the 14. A more reokicur alice than usual,

(përhape) (0) performance in No Man's Land used after Christmas,

Gorman Juggler E candies on the German of a clover parapet burned brightly in drew a large crowd from both 17. Safitae white noces the keen air. The German soldier siden. About Ipar both sides 19. How plan pudding spoke Buently, in EnglishPUTAT

THE

to dinner: In their rusted" so. - Frosty mng, kaya, Boho revented that ho, had been a tree trencher and a Gleyinen mi walter in Brighton, Anice why bugler courteously sounded the

he wished to speak to Briffa omo mess call of the

Pomakna lainas, Chef had regiment ha i afuch.

bally beetetako mo" kada Mother were afwe

not

Octen duty.. (8);

1. Vocal trifle.." (4) "25)

4

d. Used to wipe out the score la

the deciding ♬ gamete (0)

20

1. Lost Alice become heavenly,

4. Podmonos congregation? (0)

Mother at it every Christusse morning (5)

12 Greadily devour « large bird,

(B)

15, ́ We think more

28. You might

-- Page 2

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