Bolton Chronicle

Bolton Chronicle: 2nd January 1915. Yuletide in Trenches. Wishing the Enemy a Happy Christmas. A Truce - and A Football Match

A VERY interesting letter has been sent by Mr J A Farrell, a Bolton Post Office employee who between British and German soldies was honourably kept, and how Christmas Day was spent by soem of thsoe in the trenches. The letter is sent to the Post Office and reads:- "Dear Everybody - Many thanks for the parcel of tobacco and pipe we had on Christmas Day. Things are very quiet in our part of the line. On Christmas Day there wasn't a single shot fired in the whole of the Division. There was a kind of truce declared. By means of a megaphone one of our officers wished the German in the opposite trench a merry Christmas. They returned the compliment and added that any of the troops who wished to visit them in their trenches were at liberty to do so. Several of our chaps accepted the invitation and were well received. The Germans were not allowed into our trenches but two men walked right into our lines and then refused to go back. They had to be made prisoners, and an officers of ours explained the circumstances. I expect these two men dare not go home after the war, they will certainly get the shot. A German officer also asked permission to visit the grave of a brother officer which was situated well within our lines and on the outskirts of a town now in our possession. Permission was given and the officer was led blindfolded through our lines to the graveside. He stayed here a little hile, then the bandage was put over his eyes and he was taken to his own lines. In the afternoon there was a football match played beyond the trenches, right in full view of the enemy. They kept the truce honourably, and concluded the day with what I suppose were German carols. Every spent a jolly day under the circumstances. I am now working in a telgegraph office and am very comfortable.The only drawback is the twelve hours night duty which occurs every third night. It might be worse. I suppose everyone's doing his little bit. Haven't seen any of the Bolton chaps for six weeks but have heard indirectly that they are all right. May I thank you all again for your kindness. Best of luck for 1915. "

Bolton Chronicle, 9th January 1915, page 6. Real Christmas Feast in Trenches. Deane soldier's interesting chat with Germans.
Mrs G. O. Smith, Stag's Head, Deane, has received another interesting letter from her hsuband who wrote "in the trenches" on December 26th as follows: "I have received your parcel and welcome letter. I have done very welll this Christmas. I had a decent dinner, plenty of meat and potatoes etc. We get these and all kinds of vegetables in tins. We made a good dinner witht he pheasant, and had rhe puddings after. It was quite a typcial Christmas Day out here - freezing hard and everything white with frost. We have had quite an unusual experiencew ith the Germasn. They were shouting over to us from their trenches all Christmas Eve. Of course we answered back. Then they started to sing, and when they finished our fellows started singing back ot them, but the climax was reached on the afternoon of Christmas Day. We invited each other to come over unarmed. So a party of us got out of the trench and went over to meet a party of them at the barbed wire in the centre of the field. They all shook hands with us and no one could have greeted better than they did. They gave us presents of cigarettes and cigars and we all exchanged souvenirs. One gave me his cap for my Balaclava cap. Most of them coud speak English. Their officers were over as well as ours. The German officers wanted British newspapers, and we gave them a pile of old ones. They wanted to arrange a football match with us but it got rather too late. When we parted they all shook hands and gave us a cheer. Of course we cheered in return. One of their officers told us he had lived a number of years in Glasgow . It hardly seems possible for such a thing to happen - deadly enemies to go forth and meet each other with all goodwill and then return to the trenches and shoot the first man who showed himself. I suppose it is one of the mysteries of human nature. There is plenty of talk that we are going to get leave shortly, but I don't think there is any foundation for this, although I am quite ready for a few days the first chance I can get."

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