This Day in History: 25 December 2019
25 December 1914
105 years ago, today, the 'Christmas Truce' was made on the battlefields of World War One between British and German troops, meaning that instead of fighting, the soldiers exchanged gifts and played football. The soldiers ceased their fires, and began to sing Christmas carols, and some soldiers from other countries even head brass bands joining the Germans in their singing. In the morning, many of the German soldiers came out from their trenches and called out 'Merry Christmas' in their enemies' native languages. The Allies first thought it was a trick, but seeing the Germans unarmed made them also climb out of their trenches and shake hands with their enemies.
The soldiers exchanged presents of cigarettes and plum puddings, sang carols and Christmas songs, and even played a friendly game of football. When the truce broke out, the leaders of the armies were horrified, and some soldiers may have been punished for fraternisation. This Christmas Truce came only 5 months after the war started and was one of the last examples of enemies becoming friendly during warfare. At the beginning of the war, most soldiers had hoped the fighting would be quickly over and that they would be reunited with their families for Christmas. Despite this, in the next year of war, the conflict became more severe with more bloodshed and technological advances, so a repetition of this Christmas Truce became impossible.
Merry Christmas everyone! I hope everyone has an amazing day while spending it in a more joyous situation than these soldiers did. To find out more about the hope-filling Christmas Truce, clickhere for more details.
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