The Christmas Truce – A Fact-Filled World War One Guide For Keystage 2 and 3
Updated: Dec 18, 2024
World War 1 was a large-scale, brutal war between the Allied forces (including Britain, France and Russia) and the Central Powers (including Germany and Austria-Hungary). The war raged across Europe’s Western and Eastern Fronts for four long years. But did the soldiers on both sides have to fight every day? Even Christmas day?
What was Christmas like in 1914?
When World War 1 began in summer 1914, many were told the conflict would be over by Christmas. But by Christmastime the same year, both sides had reached a stalemate, hundreds of thousands of soldiers had been killed and trenches had been dug, creating a battle front that stretched across Europe. By Christmas Eve 1914, soldiers weren’t expecting the violence and bloodshed to change for the festive period. But then, an event happened that British machine gunner, Bruce Bairnsfather, described as “unique and weird”. It became known as the “Christmas Truce”.
What was the Christmas Truce?
The Christmas Truce was a temporary, unplanned and unofficial ceasefire on Christmas 1914. The pause in the fighting took place along two-thirds of the section of the Western Front controlled by the British Expeditionary Force. During this remarkable event, the guns fell silent in the trenches and enemy soldiers from Britain and Germany came together across No Man’s Land to celebrate Christmas together.
How did the Christmas truce start?
The truce broke out in different ways across the front lines. In some areas the German soldiers were heard singing Christmas carols. The British soldiers applauded their efforts and sang back with a chorus of carols in kind. In other places, enemy soldiers called to each other across the trenches, asking to meet halfway across No Man’s Land. In one story, enemy soldiers from both sides had a chance meeting when they ventured into No Man’s Land to repair their crumbling trenches in the fog. When the fog lifted and the foes spotted each another, the choice was made to greet each other with Christmas spirit instead of fighting.
How did the soldiers celebrate Christmas together?
Many of the German soldiers spoke English very well and the opposing forces came together to talk, sing and share jokes. Some groups swapped gifts, wine and cigarettes. Soon a football was brought out and goals were set up. An impromptu match began, with hundreds of soldiers kicking the ball around No Man’s Land. In another area, a British soldier set up a makeshift barber shop, charging a few cigarettes to trim the hair of German soldiers.
Did everyone celebrate Christmas with a truce?
Not everyone on the front lines followed the lead of the German and British soldiers on Christmas. The ceasefire didn’t happen on the Eastern Front because the Russian calendar meant that Russian soldiers wouldn’t celebrate Christmas until early January. Also, the truce wasn’t supported in many areas of the Western Front controlled by French forces. One young German, by the name of Adolf Hitler, ticked off his fellow soldiers for celebrating with the enemy, telling them “Such a thing should not happen in wartime. Have you no German sense of honour left?”.
How long did the truce last?
Over the coming hours and days, gunfire began to ring out over No Man’s Land once more. Although in some places, the truce lasted until New Year’s Day.
Did the truce happen again the following Christmas?
No truces like this happened again during the rest of the war. Military leaders on both sides were afraid that another truce would stop their soldiers from wanting to fight each other. The following Christmas, machine gun barrages rung out over the trenches, covering up the sound of any carol singing or calls to unite and exchange pleasantries in No Man’s Land.
