From The Illustrated London News of January 9, 1915: "British and German Soldiers Arm-in-Arm Exchanging Headgear: A Christmas Truce between Opposing Trenches"British and German descendants of Great War veterans, in period uniforms, shake hands as a memorial to the truce is unveiled on 11 November 2008 in Frelinghien, France
December, 1914. Multiple nations are at war. Families are grieving over the loss of beloved fathers, sons, and brothers, who have been mobilized in defense of their homelands and in accordance with existing treaties for mutual defense. On the trench lines of the Western Front, two opposing forces that have spent the last six months in open combat are about to do something that will go down in history as one of the greatest legends of World War I: lay down their arms for a day. In this briefest of moments, the enduring spirit of humanity came to rise above the propaganda, the yellow journalism, the racial and ethnic discrimination, and the mandate from their respective high commands to win the war. In observing this so-called "Christmas Truce", both the Allied and Central Powers inadvertently left to future generations one example of how common ground can unite opposite sides for a greater good, if only for a day.
What we know of the Christmas Truce a century later comes from a variety of sources, and the observation and timing of the truce have become somewhat muddled from conflicting reports, government censorship, and loss of records, so that what we are left with is a hazy and somewhat incomplete picture of the event as a whole. It appears that the truce was not universal, for it is known that along several places on the Western Front's trench lines fighting did occur during the period for which the truce was observed. In other places the truce was little more than a day off from what the men in the service would call their jobs, in essence a weekend to relax with a lesser risk of being killed. In other places on the trench line, eyewitness accounts tell a story of soldiers who emerged from the trenches and openly fraternized with their counterparts on the other side of the battle line.
When word of the truce got out it met with mixed responses. The public was widely supportive, with people devouring the newspapers to read up on this development. Governments, on the other hand, were less than thrilled with the idea that the men who were supposed to be leading their nations and their respective military alliances to victory had instead laid down their arms and welcomed soldiers from the other side to join them in the spirit of the season. Some governments went to extraordinary lengths to correct this perceived issue by reminding their military men that fraternization with the enemy was considered treason, and that there would be no reprieve the next time such a stunt was pulled by the troops.
By the end of January, the Christmas Truce had faded, and the two parties were once again at war. In the months to come, as each side resorted to ever more powerful weaponry - in particular, the introduction of chemical weaponry - the meaning and significance of the Christmas Truce would become even more important as a reminder to the world that even in the darkest hours of time, when all seems lost to the sounds of war and of chaos, of divided governments and polarized citizens, there exists a fragile hymn that speaks of peace and of hope, and to those who have the courage to listen and abide it, wondrous and unexpected things can happen.
About The Bugle
First published in 2006, the Bugle is the monthly newsletter of the English Wikipedia's Military history WikiProject.
