December 21, 2001 The Christmas truce of the First World War

On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we think about peace on earth and goodwill toward each other; on the other hand, we see war and hatred around the world.  A recent statistic indicates that at least 111 million people died in wars in the 20th century.  

On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in 1914, during WWI, one of the most remarkable events in the history of war took place on Flanders fields—peace broke out.  

Eminent historian Stanley Weintraub tells about this moving and unprecedented event in his new book Silent Night (see photo).  He raises the question of whether the average soldier really wanted to be killing himself or others for George V and Kaiser Wilhelm. A soldier’s poem at the time states:  

The ones who call the shots won’t be among the dead and lame. 

On each end of the rifle, we’re the same.  

Historian Stanley Weinbraub tells the story of the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, in 1914 when peace broke out during the First World War

Across hundreds of miles in Belgium, German troops were lined up in trenches within shouting distance of French, Belgian, British, Canadian, etc. troops.  

A million men had already been slaughtered and frozen bodies lay strewn between the lines.  Occasionally a white flag would go up and an unarmed group of soldiers would risk burying the dead and collecting the wounded.  Often the other side would do the same thing, and occasionally some fraternizing would take place.  

As Christmas approached the Germans were much better supplied than the allies, and had Christmas trees and candles delivered to their trenches, along with gifts.  Weintraub reconstructs the events from diaries, letters, newspapers, photographs and other sources to describe what happened.  It all began when, on Christmas Eve, some of the Germans placed their lighted trees on the parapets of the trenches.  

This action soon spread along the line.  Singing began to be heard on both sides. 

Soon, newspapers and food canisters were being tossed across the line.  

Eventually, the shooting stopped and unarmed men spontaneously came out of the trenches in several locations on both sides.  Handshakes, salutes, and gifts were exchanged.  Many of the Germans spoke English, and soon conversations and singing began.  Some men cut off extra buttons from their uniforms or removed badges and these, along with letters and addresses, were exchanged.  Some personal gifts from home were given to the other side, including large quantities of cigarettes and cigars.  

Senior officers on both sides were in a panic and tried to stop the activity with threats of court martial and treason, but in most cases the men didn’t care.  

On Christmas Day more of the same took place, as the guns remained silent.  Barrels of German beer were exchanged for quantities of plum pudding.  

Several stray cattle were slaughtered for a feast.  In some cases, makeshift soccer balls appeared and games took place among the allies or with the Germans, with spectators cheering them on.  

Eventually the day darkened and the men drifted back into their trenches.  By then, the officers were implementing orders from higher up, and shooting began again—usually over the heads of the enemy. 

Eventually, though, the carnage began to mount.  In the forty-eight months that remained in the war, approximately 6,000 men died every day, many from chlorine gas that each side used.  

There were a few attempts at truces or cease-fires on other occasions, but nothing materialized.  

Among the many stories Weintraub tells is one about an insignificant Corporal by the name of Adolph Hitler, who was well behind the front line with a group in reserve in the basement of a monastery.  He had no gifts like the others, and sulked over the truce.  

Weintraub wonders how the world would have been different if he had not survived.  

Weintraub also goes on at some length to guess what would have happened if the truce had stopped the war.  The history of the 20th Century would have been significantly changed, and many would have had a chance to live, raise families and make a contribution.  

On that point, the new book, Canada: A People’s History Vol. 2, talks about how Canada’s John McCrae, who died in the war, buried a close friend on a Flanders field a few months after the truce.  

McCrae found a photo of his friend’s girl with a bullet hole in it, and buried it with him.  McCrae sat down and wrote “In Flanders Fields” the best-known and most touching poem to come out of the war.  Weintraub, like McCrae, gives us food for thought and helps us appreciate what we have at Christmas time.  Silent Night is available at local bookstores.     

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