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5th January 1915
WRITING to his friend, Mr James D Gray, in Carluke, Private Cunningham, of The 5th Scottish Rifles, says: "On Christmas Eve the firing practically ceased. I think both sides understood we were going to have a day off. Through the night we sang carols to one another, the German lines were only a hundred yars away, so we heard each other quite plainly. This went on all night. When dawn arrived we started putting our head above the parapet and waved to each other. On our left was a brewery occupied by the Germans and to our surprise we saw a German come out and hold his hand up, behind him were two rolling a barrel of beer. They came halfway across and signed to us to come for it. Three of us went out, shook hands with them, wished them a merry Christmas, and rolled the barrel to our own trenches amid the cheers of both British and Germans! After that it was understood that peace was declared for a day. We both got out of our trenches and met in the middle of the field, wished each other seasons greetings. The Germans said: "A merry Grismas!". Some of them were uite good at English. We had a most interesting day. The Germans got permission for our officers to bury some of their dead which were lying near our lines. When darkness came we both went back to our trenches and the Great European war was on again.
5th January 1915
CORPORAL Robert Renton, Seaforth Highlanders, writes from the Front to this parents at Fireburnmill, Coldstream: "I never thought we would spend Christmas the way we did. On Christmas Eve, the Germans in front of us started singing what appeared to be hymns. We were shouting for encores (their trenches are only about 150 yards in front of us) and they kept up singing all night. On Christmas Day some of them started to shout to us to come across for a drink - it started with one or two going over halfway meeting the Germans between the trenches, then it got that there was a huge crowd of Germans and British standing together shaking hands and wishing each other a merry Christmas. They were giving us cigars and cheroots in exchange for cigarettes and some of them had bottles of whiskey. They seemed to be a decent crowd that was in front of us. They were all fairly well dressed and the majority of them could speak the language as well as myself. They said they were not going to fire for three days and they kept their word too for there was no rifle fire for two days after Christmas. There were two dead Frenchmen between our lines. We could never get out to bury them till that day and the Germans helped us to dig the graves. It was a sight worth seeing and one not easily forgotten, both Germans and British paying their respect to the French dead.
7th January 1915
LANCE-Corporal Stephen, G Company, 6th Gordon Highlanders, in a letter to this parents at Bucksburn, Aberdeen, tells of the interchange of opinions men of his regiment had on Christmas Day with the German soldiers in the trenches. The Germans, he writes, say they are 'fed-up' with the war, and will not fire unless the British soldiers do. They admit they have been bluffed by the Kaiser, and say theyw ere told the Germans had captured 160 guns from the Russians; but knew now that it was all lies. One fellow who was a teacher in England, when asked what he thought of the war, said: "The war is finished here. We don't want to shoot." There were some fine men among them - students, men from London and Glasgow, and lots of them spoke English very well.
7th January 1915
PRIVATE George Wylie, Seaforth Highlanders, writing to his father, Mr James Wylie, 105 High Street, says: "The Germans have been singing every night in groups in their trenches, and some very good singers there are amongst them. They sang a good many English hymn tunes, but of course the words are in German. A good many speak pretty decent English. On Christmas Eve we could hear them shouting in English to us to come over to their trenches. None of us would chance it at first, but they ge us all the assurances that they meant us no harm. They then said they would come half-way, so at last about half-a-dozen of our chaps went out to them (without rifles of course) and I believe they were made very welcome. The colour-sergeant, who had also gone out to seem them, got a box of cigars from one of their officers, who could speak excellent English, having been in America for a number of years.
BAVARIAN SOCIALISTS' VIEWS
On Christmas Day the Germans were even more friendly, for they were asking our people all along the line to come up to speak to them, which they did, and for the most of that day there was nothing but groups of Seaforths and Germans shaking hands, patting each other on the back, and incidentally having a drink together, of which the Germans seemed well supplied, although we had none. Some of our officers were out too; one even took a snapshot of a group of our people and the Germans fraternising. They told us they did not intend to fire at us for three days, if we did nto fire at them, and this is the third day, and they have kept their word, for not a shot has come over in our direction. They seem very decent fellows in front of us. They belong to the 10th Bavarian Regiment. They said they were tired of the war, and that it would not benefit them any, as they were Socialists. The big guns of both sides have been going as usual, though, but they, took, were very quiet on Christmas Day.
DRINKING EACH OTHERS' HEALTH
Another private in the Seaforth Highlanders, writing to a friend in Kirkintilloch, says only 200 years separated the German the British trenches. On ChristmasEve the Germans had a musical evening, lasting all night, and were left unmolested. On Christmas Day it was very misty till the afternoon, when it cleared a number of Germanswereseen knocking about outside the trenches. A shower of bullets sent them to cover, but shortly after they showed up again, this time displaying a white handkerchief. Firing ceased, and the writer and a companion went out to mee them, while everyone win a high state of excitement. On meeting they shook hands, and the Germans handed out cigs, cigarettes, chocolate and a flask of rum to drink their health. They could talk good English, and wished them a happy Christmas. The 'confab' had proceeded for some time, when there was a general rush from both trenches, Germans and Highlanders being mixed up, laughing and chatting with one another. A few songs were sung by both parties, and when it was dark each returned to their respective trenches to resume the work of destruction which had been interrupted while the soldiers fraternised with one another.
9th January 1915
WRITING to Inspector Mackintosh, Prestwick, Corporal John McLean of the 2nd Seaforth Highlanders, who prior to proceeding to the front was a police constable, in Prestwick, gave a description of how Christmas transpired in the trenches. Corporal McLean ays: "A very remarkable thing happened here on Christmas Eve. About 10pm the Germans who are only about 100 yards in front of our trenches, started singing and our boys shouted Hurrah after every verse. At length, some of the Germans called out in fairly good English: "Have you any rum over there? One of our fellows shouted back 'Yes'. Others of the Germans shouted "Have you any bully beef? Can you speak German?" and all sorts of questions. Latterly one of the Germans shouted 'Come over'. By this time it was Christmas morning - misty but very frosty and from where I was I could hear distinctly what was said. Each side then started in turn: "A merry Christmas to you". One of our fellows next shouted "Come halfway across" and no sooner had the invitation been given, than two of the Germans left the trenches and two of our men went out to meet them. Greetings were exchanged between the firing lines not a round was fired on either side. Cigarettes were exchanged for cigars &c and the men returned to their own trenches. The Germans said they were not going to fire for three days and all was quiet up to 3pm. On Christmas afternoon about twenty Germans elft their trenches and came to greet our fellows on the left. Our fellows went across the intervening ground and met them when greetings were exchanged and souvenirs were given. I was in the right flank trench and on seeing what happened, the section sergeant and I went along for the curiosity of the thing. I was greeted wtih outstretched hand and a German said in broken English, 'English comrade'. I then said 'War finish?' He replied 'Oh no, three days'. I said 'No, no, finish. I pack up and go England, you pack up and go Germany'. But he replied as before - 'Three days'.
11th January 1915
A PRIVATE in the 1st Scottish Rifles writing to a lady who had sent gifts to them says: "The Germans are as close to us as 180 yards and as far away as 1,000 yards. They were rather good to us on Christmas Eve. They treated us to a few songs and a cornet solo. Not to be outdone we replied with a few ragtimes and the bagpipes and undercover of darkness we hoisted a big screen and wished them merry Christmas. Our boys are not in the least down-hearted and are preparted to do anything and everything. If we do our duty as all our friends at home are doing there can only be one end to the w, and that is the end we want."
EXCHANGED SOUVENIRS WITH THE GERMANS
In the course of a letter to his wife, Corporal Patrick Dee, a Falkirk man, belonging to the 2nd Battalion of the Argyll and Southern Highlanders gave an account of how Christmas Day was spent in the trenches. He writes: "We heard no chiming bells (big guns) and thought that they (the Germans) were on holiday.There was of cuorse plenty of hand bellringing (rifle fire). What will you think of it when I tell you that after dinner, the Germans exchanged the compliments of the season. A party of them were seen on our left making gestures as if they wanted to speak to us. Some of our chaps went halfway to them and were speaking to them. Some of the Germans could speak English. One of them had worked in Glasgow for four years. They exchanged headdress as souvenirs with our chaps. After the handshaking, we had tea and enjoyed it very much. It was dark by this time and as we were not troubled by the hand bellringers (riflemen) we stood and told our stories. Of course we had to knock our feet about to keep them warm. After that I went into my bunk but my electric light switched off. It consisted of a tobacco tin with a small hole in the lid and a piece of ground rag through. So finished my first and, I hope my last, Christmas Day in the trenches.
16th January 1915
THE following letter written by young officer in the 1st Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, has been received by a gentleman in the Kirkcudbright district:- "31st December. I must tell you about our last time in the trenches. It was the most extraordinary occurrence that I suppose ever took place in any war that has ever aken place. The fun started on Christmas Eve when we went into the trenches, and some man in A Company yelled to the Germans asking if they would like some rum. So he went across the lines and gave them some, getting cigars in exchange. There was great cheering from both sides when he returned, and everybody stopped firing.They could speak English quite and said they would not fire on Christmas Day unless we did; so we said we wouldn't either. I and another Leiutenant in A Company spoke with one of their officers, and arranged that we should give one another songs, so we sang and applauded each other until nearly 2 a.m., Christmas morning. This all took place in the trenches.They had their trenches all lit up with big bonfires and lanterns, and one could even hear the pop of corks chink of bottles as they made merry. We stuck up some notices on the top of the trench greeting them in German. The next morning one of their officers came over and asked for a truce during Christmas Day with which we agreed. Then our men started going over to them, and talking in groups between the lines.
GERMAN STORIES
"It was not long before I got hold of some of their officers, who saluted and shook hands as if we were the best of friends. Of course I began asking quite innocent (?) questions and found out some quite remarkable information. They said they were very 'fed up' but that they were certain to win. They thought that another of their armies was at the gates of Paris; the French were totally routed and beaten; the Russians likewise, that they had got Warsaw, and were quite near to St Petersburg; and that the Russians and the French were only waiting for the English to make terms of peace. They were going to take Canada, Egypt, East Africa, lost of our island colonies as well as many others I've forgotten. Some of the men did not even know that they were fighting Russia. They thought that India had revolted and that Egypt was theirs already. They have ten days in trenches and four days rest. We have four ech way, so they don't get so much rest as we. They belong to the 19th Saxon Corps, 40th Division, 134th Regiment, 1st Battalion, but they are mixed with small quantities of other regiments, the 106th, 133rd, and others. Some are only 16, and many only 17. One of our sergeants said if he caught them pointing rifle at him, he'd turn them over and spank them. They are very friendly, act now like a lot of tamed mice, as they were very much struck with the size and strength of our men, and especially the size of myself and two others who are even taller than me. They are quite small and look ill. They were very glad of some of our tins of bully beef and jam which we gave them (sounds funny feeding your enemies, doesn't it?) but you bet I made a bit by it as we get too much to eat, and I've got a beautiful biscuit tin fully of cigars, which I enjoy immensely. I smoke them all day, and would prefer them to a two-shilling English one. They said they got them free in Belgium (loot, I expect). I had quite a few souvenirs from them, and I'm sending you a newspaper which I think might be interesting. I also send an official information sheet. We still had the truce on when we left, and they said that if we stuck up tins when we got back they would continue it, but they did not like the -- and are firing at them (snipers). I've got a German bayonet with a saw edge. Very useful for sawing wood. I have also got buttons. p.c's, &c. One fellow asked me to send his girl in town a letter. We go back to the trenches to-day.
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