ON November 11th 2008 a plaque to the Christmas Truce was unveiled in the French village of Frelinghien. It is the first official memorial to this remarkable event.

The very moving event was attended by French Prime Minister's wife, Penelope Fillon, Mrs Margaret
Holmes whose father, Welsh Private Frank Richards, was a witness of that memorable Christmas Day, Joachim Frhr von Sinner and Miles Stockwell (whose grandfathers took part in the truce) and many other dignitaries.

After a church service featuring the singing of Silent Night (in German and Welsh), villagers joined the dignitaries and representatives of the Welsh, French and German military for the unveiling of the plaque. There followed a lunch in the sports hall, and then a football match between the Welsh and Germans - the Germans winning (again!) 2-1.

It was a fantastic day and thanks are due to many people but most notably Dr Krijnen and the people of Frelinghien.

More details will be added to this page shortly.

SEE also a slideshow of the event