Christmas truce

England v Germany; The Christmas Truce, 1914

This December marks the centennial of the famous ceasefire along the Western Front during World War I. On Christmas Eve, 1914, along the four-hundred-mile frontline, enemy soldiers spontaneously emerged from their trenches, arms laid aside, to celebrate Christ’s birth together. They sang carols, exchanged gifts (jams and candies, cigarettes, newspapers), kicked around a soccer ball,…

Friday 1 July 2016 marked the centenary of the beginning of the Battle of the Somme, the biggest conflict seen on the Western Front during World War I. Here are some of the most arresting photos from the war. Contains graphic images.

The story that English and German soldiers faced off in a game of soccer during a cease-fire in No Man's Land has become gilded over the years.

This is a statue by Andy Edwards entitled “All Together Now” which for the next few days will be on display in St Luke’s, Liverpool’s famous “bombed out church”. The figures are about to shake hands standing over a football which relates to the time that British and German soldiers paused, apparently to play football on Christmas Day 1914. The hands do not quite meet which allows one to place a hand between them, joining the act of all too brief sanity on that day. The figures will leave…

The Christmas Truce of 1914

Credit to @all_thats_interesting : On Christmas Eve in 1914, German and British soldiers located on the Western Front agreed to a truce, suspending combat until after the holiday. Together, they sang Christmas carols, shared food and cigarettes, and played football in No Man's Land. Most importantly, it provided both sides with time to collect deceased soldiers from the field and bury them as a gesture of kindness and civility.⁠ ⁠ Read more about the Christmas Truce of World War 1

The song’s message of peace helped bring about the Christmas Truce during World War I.

Respected German historian Robin Schaefer has found and translated a trove of around two dozen contemporary truce accounts, giving an insight into the perspective of the 'enemy'.

History Portfolio

The fraternising of troops in Belgium on Christmas Day 1914. Group of German soldiers with two Englishmen. 1914-12-25 Possibly Rifleman Andrew (left) and another British soldier (third from the right, background) of the London Rifle Brigade with troops of the 104th and 106th Saxon Regiments. (Source © IWM Q 11718)

The Christmas Truce-British and German soldiers celebrating Christmas 1914, in an illustration originally from The Sphere, January 9, 1915 via reddit

http://www.phosphorart.com/robin-hood-by-bob-wilson/

On Christmas Eve, 1914, something remarkable happened on the western front during the First World War. Soldiers in the trenches on both sides of no man’s land ceased fighting. Not only did they stop fighting, but they came out of their trenches to meet each other to celebrate Christmas. It has become one of the most mythologized events of the war and one of the oddest events in military history. Learn more about the Christmas Truce of 1914 and what really happened.

Was it really all peaceful on the Western Front on Christmas 1914? We examine the myths behind the Christmas Truce. Discover your history.

Christmas Day and the Christmas Truce statue in Belgium causes a stir as locals come out and light candles at the base.