The Christmas Truce of 1914

By Shem Josiah

Summary

December 1914. Two trench lines, fifty yards apart, split by mud and wire.

Chapters

  1. December 1914. Two trench lines, fifty (0s)
  2. On Christmas Eve, German voices sang (6s)
  3. No order given — soldiers climbed (11s)
  4. They shook hands, traded chocolate, even (15s)
  5. It terrified command: courts-martial threatened, guns (19s)
  6. The war was optional. The machine (24s)

Transcript

December 1914. Two trench lines, fifty yards apart, split by mud and wire. On Christmas Eve, German voices sang 'Silent Night.' The British sang back. No order given — soldiers climbed out into no-man's-land. They shook hands, traded chocolate, even played football. It terrified command: courts-martial threatened, guns ordered back on. The war was optional. The machine made sure it never happened again.