The Christmas Truces Of 1914

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On my recent walkabout taking photos in Liverpool, I stumbled on this terrific war memorial in the grounds of a church. It depicts an English and German soldier playing a friendly game of football. The event it represents is a real one, and well known. Soldiers were assured at the start of World War One that they would be home by Christmas that year, 1914. As Christmas drew near, it was obvious that the fighting would not be over for some time. All along the Western Front, men ignoring their commanding officers, declared a truce, primarily to recover their wounded and bury their dead. Men of both sides helped in the burial details and some started exchanging gifts, especially cigarettes. Christmas carols were sung together by men of both sides. In several areas, the fraternization extended to playing games, including football. Here the unarmed men cautiously shake hands as they prepare to start their game. Heavy artillery from further back in the lines of both sides broke up the party, and many men risked court martial over the order defying impromptu truces though there were a few revivals the following year, but not in 1917 when commanders cracked down hard and men were much more embittered after three years of conflict. The Christmas Truce has become one of the War’s most enduring images, a brief spell of humanity in the Hell of war. Arthur Chappell