The Christmas truce: The exceptional occurrence of Christmas Day, 1914, in some sectors of the Western Front. A sort of fraternisation took place here and there in front line trenches between the British and Germans, the men meeting in No Man's Land and exchanged cigarettes etc., "It began," Lord French, in his book, "1914," says "by individual unarmed men running from the German trenches across to ours holding Christmas trees over their heads." The British authorities issued stringent orders against the recurrence of anything of the kind, and certain officers in charge were severely called to account for what happened. On Christmas Day, 1915, at one or two points the Germans sang carols and tried to come out into No Man's Land, calling on British men. Staff Officers, however, had been posted in the trenches to prevent fraternisation and shells from British artillery quickly made the enemy run back. [1]
References / notes
- ↑ Edward Fraser and John Gibbons (1925). Soldier and Sailor Words and Phrases. Routledge, London p.55.
Glossary of words and phrases
The above term is listed in our glossary of words and phrases of the Armed Forces of Great Britain during the Great War. Included are trench slang, service terms, expressions in everyday use, nicknames, the titles and origins of British and Commonwealth Regiments, and warfare in general. These words and phrases are contemporary to the war, which is reflected in the language used. They have been transcribed from three primary sources (see Contents). Feel free to expand upon and improve this content.
Browse other terms: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z