Staffordshire Sentinel

January 13th 1915:WITH THE NORTH STAFFORDS AT THE FRONT. Stories of the Christmas Truce. The following are extracts from a letter dated January 3rd sent by Lance Corporal H Shufflebotham of the 1st North Staffordshire Regiment: We had a very bad time in the trenches this time on account of the bad weather, and there are no end of men going sick through colds &c. We were in the trenches from December 11th to the 31st and now we have come down to --, where we are to stay in billets for five days. After that we go back into the trenches for four days and then, I believe we go down country for a new outfit and a rest. We had a very good Christmas taking all things into consideration. You may not believe it but it is the truth. Our regiment and the Germans met halfway between the trenches (which are only 40 to 50 yards apart) and shook hands and exchanged cigarettes, cigars &c. Not a shot was fired as it was arranged on both sides that there should not be. They (the Germans) seemed as though they were short of food as they even begged bully beef and we gave it to them freely. They are quite a young lot of chaps, ranging from 16 upwards. I was talking to several of them and they said they were fed up and ready to throw in and no doubt you will see it in the Sentinel in due course. We had a fine Christmas box from Princess Mary and one from the Staffordshire Sentinel containing a pound box of chocolate and a New Year's gift from the same source of 20 packets of cigarettes and eight ounces of tobacco in addition to which we also had eight packets of cigarettes from B company of the North Staffords at home.

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THE following letters has been received from Lance-Corportal A Lockett, of the 1st North Staffs Regiment on active service: I am pleased to say that I quite enjoyed myself on Christmas Day; we were having a bit of a spree with the Germans. We had an informal truce, we both me halfway. One of their officers asked one of ours if they could come out and bury their dead, so our officer agreed and then we went out to help them. I wish you could have seen the sight, there were hundreds of them lying dead. When they had finished their work a chum of mine fetched his melodion out and you should have seen our fellows. We quite made the Germans stare. One of our fellows went across to the German trenches dressed in women's clothes. There was a bit of sport at first, they thought we were the Russians in front of them. They said they were sorry that they had got to fight the English. The regiment that was in front of us were the Saxons and, as you know, Saxons are more English than German. It is the Prussians and the Uhlans that are doing the damage. These men that are in front of us are like gentlemen; they would not shoot at us. Some of them gave themselves up and said that they did not want to fight against us, and that there are some more coming in.

January 13th 1915: NORTH STAFFORDS TRUCE WITH GERMANS. Saxons Who Had Been Awaiting Despatch to England: The following very interesting letter has been received by Mr and Mrs R E Oakes of 1 Broad-street, Scotia-road, Burslem, from their son Corporal A P Oakes of the 1st North Staffordshire Regiment, on active service:- On Christmas Eve, I was sent on an errand to --. While making my way through the streets of the town, I had quite a crowd of French children round me asking for souvenirs. They mistook me for Father Christmas for I was covered from head to heel with mud. I got back to the 'death trap' (as we have christened the particular trench we were holding) at dusk, and as I heard shots from Geerman snipers, I wondered if that was their usual way of celebrating Christmas Eve. About eight o'clock, however, the enemy, who at this point are entrenched only thirty to fifty yards away, placed a number of lighted candles on the top of their trenches. Or chaps started to shout across good humouredly and the Germans replied in the same spirit. Then both sides got on the top of their respective trenches and one of each side met halfway. Then "Peace on earth, goodwill towards men" was the order of the day or rather the night. A regular singing contest began our chaps giving 'Tipperary', 'Thora', 'Way Down De Swannee River' and several other well-known songs. The programme tendered by the "Grey-coated Pierrots" (Germans) was very good, and included the Austrian and German National Anthems and 'The Watch on the Rhine'. A baritone singer gave 'Sailor Beware' in English, and several other songs. We learned that he was a well-known opera singer and he certainly did not disgrace opera. At 10 o'clock we sang 'The King' bade them good-night and turned in. Christmas Day dawned at last but I found nothing in my socks but a pair of feet so cold that I hardly knew they were there. If Santa Claus had not been round, Jack Frost had. After breakfast I, with several others, went halfway between the trenches and entered into conversation with the English-speaking Germans. They were members of the --Regiment (Saxons) and very decent chaps they seemed. They told us their regimetns had been in Kiel Harbour for three months waiting to go to England before they had been sent down to the fighting line. THey said their officers had told them that General von Hinden burg had practically defeated the Russian Army, and a few days previously they had heard of a great German victory over the Russians. We showed them English apeprs but they argued that our papers were just as liable to lie as theirs. They all seemed anxious for a speedy termination of the war, and one fellow made us laugh by saying that both sides ought to stand back to back and advance. I noticed a couple of oru chaps and a couple of Germans eating black bread and German sausage, and they made a pretty picture I assure youl. Cigars were plentiful among them and they were very generous with them. I had a very nice pocket-knife given to me by one of them, and the postcard (which will be reproduced in the Weekly Sentinel") enclosed is a group of this regiment. At 4pm we returned to our trenches and spent the rest of the day in peace for true to their word they did not fire at us. A peculiar thing about it was that the regiments on either side of us kept up hostilities."

January 4th 1915, page 5. Our Friends The Enemy. North Staffords' Christmas Day Truce.

Sergeant C. Lightfoot, C Company, 1st North Staffordshire Regiment, in a letter dated December 28th, 1914, to the Sentinel says: "On Christmas Day we saw a sight past imagination. The Germans left their trenches and so did we. We met them half-way and you should have seen them shaking hands, exchanging addresses, and souvenirs &c. They brought us plenty of cigars and tobacco. There was not a shot fired between us all Christmas Day. One of our men played a melodeon and the Germans danced to it and gave us some very good singing."

January 9th, 1915, page 2. Christmas Truce. German dissatisfaction. Stringent Army Order. (Daily Telegraph Telegram). Rotterdam, Friday.
Since Christmas an order ahs been issued in Germany, says The Vorwarts forbidding German soldiers to approach the Allies' trenches with the object of fraternising with the men in them. It publishes, however, a letter from a soldier describing what took place on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The writers says: "Suddenly from the enemy hurrahing was heard, and surprised, we came from our mouse-holes and saw the English advancing towards us, waving white cigarette boxes, handkerchiefs, and towels. They had no rifles with them, and therefore we knew it could only be a greeting and that it was all right. We advanced towards them about halfway. We were only about 200 metres from each other. The greeting took place in the presence of officers from both sides. Cigarettes, cigars and many other things were exchanged, and even snapshots of both sides were taken. The English began playing with a football they had with them. On darkness descending both sides returned to their drawing-rooms, having promised that for the next three days of the holidays they would not fire on each other. This promise was given as a 'word of honour' and extended on both sides to the artillery as well as the cavalry and infantry. The French lay a little further away, and therefore did not take part in this. They were under fire the whole of the day by our artillery. We were able to move about the whole of Christmas Day with absolute freedom. It was a day of peace in war. It is only a pity that it was not a decisive peace. (Through Reuteur's Agency)

Amsterdam, Friday: The Taegliche Rundschau in a long article, points out the danger which lies in fraternisation between Germans and French, and greetings such as were recently exchanged between the trenches. "War is no sport" the journal says "and we are sorry to say that those who made these overtures or took part in them did not clearly understand the gravity of the situation." These considerations did not escape the attention of the army authorities, and the newspaper states with great satisfaction that an army order issued on December 29th forbids for the future similar fraternisation and any rapprochment with the enemy in the trenches. All acts contrary to this order will be punished as high treason.

January 15th, 1915, page 2. The North Staffords' Christmas Truce.

Giving his Christmas experiences at the front, Private Simnett, fo the 1st North Staffordshire Regiment, writing to his father at Moor-street, Bourton-on-Trent, says: "This story will be hard to swallow in England, but it is quite true. As the German trenches were not more than fifty yards away, we shouted and asked them to come over for Christmas - just for a joke, of course; but anyway they asked us to cease firing and sent a man out from each side between the trenches. Believe me, it was not long before we were all out and it was arranged to cease firing until midnight Christmas. We were having cigars from them and giving them cigarettes, and singing and playing all day. Everyone was carrying on as usual; in fact the transport fellows came up as they would not believe it. Several of the Germans were from London and were wishing the war was over. One of them even suggested that we should finish it off at football or throwing mud at each other, as we should not get hurt. No doubt you would have liked to be here for the day. What funny things happen in this war!"

January 6th, 1915, page 6. The Christmas Truce. British Officer's Letter. Friend and Foe and the Dead.

A subaltern at the front writes to the Press Association:-
A truce had been arranged for the few hours of daylight on Christmas Day for the burial fo the dead on both sides who had been lying out in the open since the fierce night-fighting of a week earlier. When I got out I found a large crowd of officers and men, English and German, grouped around the bodies, which had already been gathered together and laid out in rows. I went along those dreadful ranks and scanned the faces, fearing at every step to recognise one I knew. It was a ghastly sight. They lay stiffly in contorted attitudes, dirty with frozen mud and powdered with rime. The digging parties were already busy on the two big common graves but the ground was hard and work slow and laborious. In the intervals of superintending it, we chatted with the Germans, most of whom were quite affable. If one could not exactly call them friendly, which, indeed was neither to be expected nor desired. We exchanged confidences about the weather and the diametrically opposite news from East Prussia. The way they maintained the truth of their marvellous victories becasue they were official (with bated breath) was positively pathetic. They had no doubt of the issue in the east, and professed to regard the position in the west as a definite stalemate. It was most amusing to observe the bland innocence with which they put questions, a truthful answer to which might have had unexpected consequences in the future. One charming lieutenant of artillery was most anxious to know just where my dug-out, The Cormorants, was situated. No doubt he wanted to shoot his card, tied to a 'Whistling Willie'. I waved my hand airily over the next company's line giving him the choice of various mangel heaps in the rear. They spoke of a bottle of champagne. We raised our wistful eyes in hopeless longing. They expressed astonishment and said how pleased they would have been had they only known to have sent to Lille for some. "A charming town, Lille. Do you know it?" "Not yet" we assured them. Their laughter was quite frank that time. Meanwhile time drew on, and it was obvious that the burying would not be half finished with the expiration of armistice agreed upon, so we decided to renew it the following morning. They left us alone that night to enjoy a peaceful Christmas. I forgot to say that the previous night (Christmas Eve) their trenches were a blaze of Christmas trees, and our sentries were regaled for hours with the traditional Christmas songs of the Fatherland. Their officers even expressed annoyance the next day that some of these trees had been fired on, insisting that they were part almost of a sacred rite. On Boxing Day at the agreed hour, on a prearranged signal being given, we turned out again. The output of officers of higher rank on their side was more marked, and the proceedings were more formal in consequence. But while the gruesome business of burying went forward there was still a certain interchange of pleasantries. The German soldiers seemed a good tempered, aimiable lot, mostly peasants from the look of them. One remarkable exception, who wore the Iron Cross, and addressed us in slow but faultess English, told us he was Professor of Early German and English students at a Westphalian University. He had a wonderfully fine head. They distributed cigars and cigarettes freely among our digging party who were much impressed by the cigars. I hope they were not disillusioned when they came to smoke them. Meanwhile the officers were amusing themselves by taking photographs of mixed groups. The Germans brought us copies to send to the English illustrated papers, as they received them regularly. The digging completed, the shallow graves were filled in and the German officers remained to pay their tribute of respect while our chaplain read a short service. It was one of the most impressive thigns I have ever witnessed. Friend and foe stood side by side, bare-headed, watching the full, grave figure of the padre outlined against the frosty landscape as he blessed the poor broken bodies at his feet. Then, with more formal salutes, we turned and made our way back to our respective ruts. Elsewhere along the line I hear our fellows played the Germans at football on Christmas Day. Our own pet enemies remarked that they would like a game but as the ground in our part is all root crops and much cut up by ditiches, and as moreover, we had not got a football, we had to call it off.

CHESHIRE MEN AND THE GERMANS

Private J Higham, of the Stalybridge Territorials, in a letter home says: On Christmas Day the Germans never fired a shot, and we were walking about the trenches in the afternoon, about three o'clock, the -- who were on my right, started whistling and shouting to the Germans whose trenches were only 400 yards away. They asked them to come down. Of course we were watching these events with great interest. After about ten minutes two Germans ventured out and they -- went to meet them. When they met they shook hands with each other, and then other Germans came, and so we went up to them. When they met they also shook hands. I was a bit timid at first, I shook hands with about sixteen Germans. They gave us cigars and cigarettes and toffee, and they told us they didn't want to fight, but they had to. Some could speak English as well as we could, and some had worked in Manchester. All the Cheshires and the Germans were now together by this time and we sang "Tipperary" for them, and they sang a song in German for us. We were with them about an hour, and everybody was bursting laughing at this incident, and the officers couldn't make head or tail of it. The Germans then went back to their trenches, and we went back to ours, and there was not a single shot fired that day. The Germans told us there was a three day conference on in Berlin trying to get peace.

A SEQUEL TO THE TRUCE: French and Germans refuse to fight afterwards

A Paris correspondent of the Manchester Guardian says: "The cases of fraternising between British and German soldiers at Christmas do not stand alone: similar incidents occurred between Germans and French. I have heard one such story from a wonded French soldier who has just arrived at a Parisian hospital from the front. He said that on the night of December 24th, the French and Germans at a particular place came out of their respective trenches and met halfway between them. They not only talked, exchanged cigarettes, &c, but also danced together in rings. The sequel was more interesting than the event itself. The French and German soldiers who had thus fraternised subsequently refused to fire on one another and had to be removed from the trenches and replaced by other men.

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