Historians debate whether the famous Christmas Truce of 1914 took place to the extent that many sources claim that it did. Movies such as Joyeux Noel sensationalize the Truce as an event that symbolized mutual anti-war sentiment between the Allied and Central powers; a metaphorical truce as well as a literal one. Although attempts had been made to secure an official truce between British and German forces, the truce that actually happened seems to have come about as the result of boredom, restlessness, and apathy towards the troops' respective enemies. There was not necessarily an overarching theme of unity, anti-war sentiment, or collective disobedience; although there is a common conception that officers did not participate in the truce, many officers did, or simply did not try to stop it from happening (source: A Christmas Tale). Even though there was no evidence that this truce was meant as a demonstration of mutual good will, newspapers at the time contributed to the symbolism and spectacle in articles like the one below.
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| An article in the Aberdeen Evening Express, detailing the experiences of one of the men who took part in the Christmas Truce. To see a related United States newspaper article about the Truce (from the Tacoma Washington Times, February 11, 1915, 3), click here. "Soldiers' Stories. Stray Shots from the Battlefield: Chase After a Hare with Germans." Aberdeen Evening Express (Aberdeenshire, Scotland), January 1, 1915. 2. Accessed February 17, 2017. |
There were also ethical and moral questions surrounding the truce: questions about fraternization, nationalism, and altruism. At a time when the governments of both sides were perpetuating negative stereotypes about the enemy, their respective armies laid down their weapons and engaged in trades of cigarettes, souvenirs, and games of football (the extent of the football-playing is debated among historians). Thus, the truce born out of boredom took on a deeper meaning, at least for civilians. However, even before the unofficial truce happened, there were different ideas about the success even an official truce would have, as seen in an obviously anti-German article entitled "Baby-Killing Germans: No Christmas Truce." Many people believed that a reprieve from the fighting would be impossible because of German "duplicity" (source: Taunton Courier). Myths abound in respect to participation, duration, and meaning of the Christmas Truce, but a few things are nevertheless true: football was indeed played by the 1st Norfolk Regiment near Neuve Eglise, fighting largely stopped in this area, and officers did indeed take part in the brief armistice on December 25th, 1914.
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Report by Captain James Percival Longfield of the 1st Norfolk Regiment.
Steve Smith, "A Christmas Tale." Great War Britain Norfolk: Remembering 1914-1918. Accessed February 16, 2017. https://stevesmith1944.wordpress.com/2015/12/24/a-christmas-tale-2/
To see this photo and others, and to read about the Norfolk Regiment's
service in WWI, click here.
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One of the members of the 1st Norfolk Regiment, Private Albert Barnes, wrote about the Christmas Truce of 1914 in his entry in Sister Lantz's first record book. The transcription of his entry reads:
Pte A. Barnes No 9026 1st Norfolk Regt
On Christmas Day 1914 the Batt was in trenches at Neuve-Eglise. At about ten oclock in the morning some Germans were seen to be coming over their parapet and as our fellows thought they were going to attack one of the chaps fired and killed one of them instantly but the remainder put up their hands and called us out and we had a game of football after that we exchanged different presents cigars chocolate etc. One German officer said We have three days armistice you no fire and we no fire so we said alright Jerry and we did not fire for three days. At about four oclock on the last day one single shot was fired from the German line and after that it was very quiet again until after we were relieved but the relief told us afterwards that as soon as it struck twelve the Germans began to fire again. The truce was ended.
Yours sincerely
A. Barnes Pte.
Private Barnes was drafted into the 1st Norfolk Regiment, and joined them in France on December 3rd, 1914, just a few weeks before the Christmas Truce. His reasons for admittance to the 22nd General Hospital are unknown, but some time after his stay there, he joined the Royal Fusiliers and served in several battalions. He survived the war and was discharged in 1919.
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Private Barnes' transfer paperwork,
including his address in Norfolk.
The National Archives of the UK; Kew, Surrey, England; WWI Service Medal and Award Rolls; Class: WO 329; Piece Number: 2636. Ancestry.com. UK, WWI Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com., 2014.
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Sources
The National Archives of the UK; Kew, Surrey, England; WWI Service Medal and Award Rolls; Class: WO 329; Piece Number: 2636. Ancestry.com. UK, WWI Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com., 2014.
Steve Smith, "A Christmas Tale." Great War Britain Norfolk: Remembering 1914-1918. Accessed February 16, 2017. https://stevesmith1944.wordpress.com/2015/12/24/a-christmas-tale-2/
Crocker, Theresa Blom. "A Remarkable Instance": The Christmas Truce and its Role in the Contemporaneous Narrative of the First World War. PhD diss., University of Kentucky, 2012.
"Baby-Killing Germans: No Christmas Truce." Taunton Courier (Taunton and Bristol), December 23, 1914. Accessed February 17, 2017.
"Soldiers' Stories. Stray Shots from the Battlefield: Chase After a Hare with Germans." Aberdeen Evening Express (Aberdeenshire, Scotland), January 1, 1915. Accessed Feruary 17, 2017.
Lantz, Birdie Genevieve. Record Book Number 1, June-September 1916. Diary. Camiers, France.
Lantz, Birdie Genevieve. Record Book Number 1, June-September 1916. Diary. Camiers, France.
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