Letters Shed New Light on World War I’s Christmas Truce

[Cybermat47]

Originally Posted by Oberon

Hard to believe that it will soon be a hundred years since the outbreak of the Great War.

Yeah... ancient history!

WWI was also the first war in which Australia fought. Something to be proud of, but also depressed by.

Originally Posted by Oberon

I always feel quite emotional whenever I think of the Christmas truce, that without any real co-ordination other than the fact that it was Christmas that whole groups of enemies would just down arms and meet each other over the battlefield.

Christmas is the time of forgiveness. It's a good thing that they postponed the war, and not Christmas

[Agiel7]

I remember reading similar stories throughout the war between the sides on the quieter fronts. For instance, in one section with Germans on one side and French on the other, one German soldier frequently crossed No-Man's-Land to have lunch with the French soldiers, as their chow was usually better. In another instance, the sense of camaraderie between some Brits and Germans was such that the German brass eventually sent a battery of 25 lbers to instill "fighting spirit" into the men. However, the German grunts sent the Brits a message warning them of the development, and told them that they would blow a whistle to signal the Brits to take cover.