Our thanks to Brian G Lawrence for finding this and other examples. See also Brian's article Christmas in Uniform - 1914.

Hertfordshire Mercury

Saturday 9th January 1915 Extract from letter written home by Rifleman C H Brazier, Queen’s Westminsters of Bishops Stortford: You will no doubt be surprised to hear that we spent our Christmas in the trenches after all and that Christmas Day was a very happy one. On Christmas Eve the Germans entrenched opposite us began calling out to us ‘Cigarettes’, ‘Pudding’, ‘A Happy Christmas’ and ‘English – means good’, so two of our fellows climbed over the parapet of the trench and went towards the German trenches,. Half-way they were met by four Germans, who said they would not shoot on Christmas Day if we did not. They gave our fellows cigars and a bottle of wine and were given a cake and cigarettes. When they came back I went out with some more of our fellows and we were met by about 30 Germans, who seemed to be very nice fellows. I got one of them to write his name and address on a postcard as a souvenir. All through the night we sang carols to them and they sang to us and one played ‘God Save the King’ on a mouth organ. On Christmas Day we all got out of the trenches and walked about with the Germans, who, when asked if they were fed up with the war said ‘Yes, rather’. They all believed that London had been captured, and that German sentries were outside Buckingham Palace. They are evidently told a lot of rot. We gave them some of our newspapers to convince them. Some of them could speak English fairly well. Between the trenches there were a lot of dead Germans whom we helped to bury. In one place where the trenches are only 25 yards apart we could see dead Germans half-buried, their legs and gloved hands sticking out of the ground. The trenches in this position are so close that they are called ‘The Death Trap’, as hundreds have been killed there. A hundred yards or so in the rear of our trenches there were houses that had been shelled. These were explored with some of the regulars and we found old bicycles, top-hats, straw hats, umbrellas etc. We dressed ourselves up in these and went over to the Germans. It seemed so comical to see fellows walking about in top-hats and with umbrellas up. Some rode the bicycles backwards. We had some fine sport and made the Germans laugh. No firing took place on Christmas night and at four the next morning we were relieved by regulars. I managed to get hold of a German ammunition pouch and bayonet but the latter I have thrown away, as it was so awkward to carry. I intend bringing the pouch home with me – when I come home.

9 January 1915: Part of letter to his parents from Pte. Leslie Roberts, “B” Company 1st Herts Regiment, formerly of the St Albans School O T C, writing on 27 December: "The next day we returned to the orchard and spent the whole day there. On Christmas Eve we came and relieved the XXXX (censored?) in the trenches so Christmas and Boxing Day were spent there. On Christmas night we expected an attack but nothing happened - Snipers abound here, but our heavy guns are much superior to the enemy’s and have done enormous damage. Our trenches are wonderfully made and would be hard to take, I think. All St Albans Old Boys are safe and well."

Letter from Pte. Fred George of 1st Herts Regiment writing to his mother at 14 Turnford Villas, near Broxbourne:- I had the pleasure of being in the trenches on Christmas Day but was relieved at night. When in the trenches we could hear the Germans singing, their trenches being only a distance of about 200 yards away. At the narrow part where only about 20 yards divided the trenches two of our chaps got killed on Christmas Day... Taking things on the whole it wasn’t so bad. We had a charcoal fire and we got good food, including plum pudding, so it seemed a bit like Christmas after all. I am sending you my Christmas card which I have received from the King and I want you to keep it for me until I come home, which I hope to have the luck to do.

16 January 1915: Extract from letter written on Boxing Day to his mother at Welwyn from Lance-Corporal R S Coulson (?) of the London Rifle Brigade and formerly of Hertford:- I am sure you are anxious to know how we spent Christmas and I will tell you in detail, but first of all I must describe in detail what will, I believe, live in history as one of the most remarkable incidents of the war. On Christmas Eve at about 4 p.m. we were in a line of advance trenches waiting to be relieved, directly it was dark, when we heard singing and shouting coming from the other trenches at right angles to us which line a hedge of the same field. Then the news filtered down. German and English officers had exchanged compliments and agreed on a truce and then started giving one another a concert. We all sang every song we could think of, a bonfire was lit and everyone walked about as though it were a picnic. After we were relieved and got back to the breastworks (about 200yds?) behind the firing-lines we could hear the German band playing Old Folks at Home, God Save the King and Onward, Christian Soldiers. On Christmas Day men and officers went in between, and even entered each other’s trenches and exchanged smokes and souvenirs. I am sorry we were relieved; it must have been a marvellous sight. All I could manage was a German cigarette given me by one of our platoon who accompanied our platoon officers to the line. One regiment, I hear, tried to arrange a football match for this afternoon, but I don’t think that came off. We are opposed to Saxon regiments and the whole affair is most striking, when you consider that a week ago today there were some hundreds of casualties through the attack and the dead still lie between the trenches. By this truce we were able to get the bodies and the Germans were good enough to bring our dead out of some ruined houses by their trenches so that we could give them burial here. I personally, shall be very pleased, when we go up tomorrow night not to have that sight before us again. Now for my Christmas. On the evening of 23rd we got orders for advance trenches. By not taking a footpath we had about a mile of mud every step, up to the knees. In some places we were in water so that you did not lift your feet out but waded. The dug-outs were in a rotten state, wet inside, surrounded by water, and not high enough to sit up in. Even whilst I was on guard, one hour on, two off, it rained of course and then tried to freeze. In the morning biscuits and sardines for breakfast were washed down by water, as there was no room or material to get a fire going. Christmas Eve, was a beautiful day, cold of course but no rain and our spirits improved. Then the incidents happened that I have already described, and I was positively happy. We were relieved by my old friends in No. 6 platoon but when we got to the breastworks they wanted two volunteers to go with two stretcher bearers to bring in a poor chap of No. 7 platoon who was sniped at about 2.30, just an hour or so before the truce. I am not vengeful but I was jolly glad to hear that a Somerset chap waited for the sniper and got him. Instead of crossing round by the hedge we were able to carry him straight across the field. We had to go all through the mud up to headquarters, and when I got back to the breastworks again about 12 the singing coming from the lines sounded fine. Contrary to regulations, because of the truce and the fact that I had got wet through carrying Bessingham (?) I took my boots and puttees off before cuddling in. In the morning boots, socks and puttees were all like boards and I was sorry I ever took them off, especially as we had to “stand to” at 6 a.m. At about 7 a.m. I wandered down two breastworks to some Regulars to borrow a bill-hook. It was immediately “D--- the bill-hook; sit down and have a bit of breakfast with us, corporal”. I did, and by gum they know how to cook. I was chatting to them till nearly 9 and you cannot imagine what ripping chaps they are. The nearest I can say is that they are one of the most famous county regiments, came out 1200 strong and have about 130 of their original number left. Just think of it! At 9.30 they asked for volunteers to dig poor Bessingham’s(?) grave, and as I had carried him down on Christmas Eve, I thought I might as well do my best for him on Christmas Day. Four decent chaps came along with me, and it took us the morning making a nice clearing, and, with the welcome aid of a regular we made a very decent grave. The doctor read the service at about 3.15 and at that moment I think I was more upset than I have ever been before out here. I could imagine all you at home sitting upstairs round the drawing room fire wondering what I was doing, and then I thought of his people wondering about their boy and here we were just about to cover him up. One of the regulars took the ? with ? to lower him in, and after all they have been through the reverence they show is wonderful. I cannot express my admiration for them. They will do anything for us and we do all we possibly can for them. When we got back we had an impromptu sing-song and then came back to billet a big drafty barn where I am at present. Today we have been on usual fatigue but as things are dry we did not get muddy so have found time for the usual things nowadays we are too busy cleaning puttees, boots etc. to write you a good long letter.

Extracts from The Herts Advertiser & St Albans Times

9th January 1915: Part of a letter sent to the newspaper thanking the residents of St Albans and school children for their gifts sent to the troops at Christmas. From Mr H A Arnold, Sgt. Of the No.1 Section, “B” Company, 1st Herts Regiment, with the British Expeditionary Force. We have been in the firing line since Christmas Eve, so our Christmas this year has been spent under very strange conditions. I thought that if I told you how we spent Christmas Day it might prove of interest to some at home. On Christmas morning we had bread and jam and cheese and a small piece of cold bacon for breakfast; then our dinner consisted of cold meat and a piece of Christmas Pudding, provided by the “Daily News” Fund. This we had to have cold but it was most delicious. Afterwards all except the men who are on the look-out (the Germans are only 600 yds from our dug-outs, and we have to watch them night and day, so one man in each hole has to watch, this duty they take turns usually one hour each) sat around our pail of fire and talked of home. During the afternoon we had our greatest pleasure of all. This was a lovely card from their Majesties the King and Queen wishing us a happy Christmas and a safe return. These, of course, we shall always treasure.

From Pte P K Kingham of “B” Company, 1st Hertfordshire Regiment, a member of the reporting staff of the Herts Advertiser:- A few days before Christmas, our regiment was moved up into a fresh region of the firing-line and strangely enough, on Christmas Eve we moved into the trenches. Compared with the trenches we had previously occupied, these were much more comfortable and on a more elaborate scale. Just about the time when Christmas Eve was merging into Christmas morn, the sound of voices singing was heard, apparently coming from the German trenches opposite, some 400 yards away. Christmas Day passed off very quietly round us, few shots being fired on either side. The artillery was also quiet. The last few days the weather has changed from healthy, keen frosts to frequent rain and strong winds. The trenches became very muddy and slushy, and our appearance now, bespattered in mud from head to foot, has an element of comedy about it.

A letter from Pte R Rolph,”B” Company, 1st Herts Regiment addressed to Mr A Gray of St Albans and the rest of the staff and friends at Slaters:- I expect you would like to know how we spent Christmas. It wasn’t a very happy one for us, I can tell you, but still we made the best of it. We went into the trenches about 6 o’clock on Christmas morning (two sections went in on Christmas Eve to relieve the Gurkhas) but I missed that as I was in No. 3 Section. For breakfast on Christmas Day we had a little bit of bacon and a little loaf between two of us and a drop of tea. For dinner, we got a tin of beef and vegetable rations and a bit of the ‘Daily News and Leader’ plum pudding. It was cold but it went down all right. Well we went through the week all right; the Germans didn’t worry us much but they did make an attack on our right about ten minutes to twelve on New Year’s Eve so we saw the New Year welcomed in, in the trenches.

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