Did a football game (soccer!

) occur during the

Christmas Truce of 1914?
IS.4.MdC. Determine credibility of sources based upon their origin, authority, and context.
IS.4.MC. Gather relevant information from credible sources and determine whether they support each other.
RH.1. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.

Use the 10 sources on the DBQ document to answer the following questions.
SOURCING:
Out of the 10 sources, which two do you think are the most credible and reliable? State
the numbers of those two sources and the reason you selected them.
A. I think the letter(#1) is one of the most credible because someone writing home
to someone they love wouldnt lie in their letter home to them, they would want it
to be as genuine as possible.
B. I also think that (#8) is also reliable because it was from a real solider that was in
the war saying how they played the game, who won, who it was with.

CONTEXTUALIZATION:
Look closely at source 1 and source 2.
When, where and by whom were the documents created?
Both documents were created in 1914, one was written by a British General and the
other
Do the documents agree?
I do believe that both documents agree that something did happen on christmas day, it
could or could not have been a football match.
How do the circumstances in which these two documents were created affect their
contents?
They were both fairly recent to the event happening so we can trust that whomever
wrote it was there.
Which one do you think is more reliable? Explain.
I believe that the quote by the German soldier, who was also a lieutenant is reliable
because he told us about the game. He said, We marked the goals with our caps.

Teams were established for a match on a frozen mud, and the Fritzies (Germans) beat
the Tommies (British) 3-2. This proves that it is more reliable because he gave details
about the game and he was a real soldier that fought for the Germans. What would he
gain from making the whole thing up?

CORROBORATION:
Which documents support the idea that a football game took place? State the source
numbers.
Numbers 1, 8, and 10.
Of the documents you listed, which is the most reliable? Why?
I believe that source #8 is the most reliable because it is giving a quote from a
Lieutenant who was there when it happened, he even told us about the game; how they
marked the goals with their caps, who won, what the teams were.

Did a football game occur during the Christmas Truce of 1914?

Based on the documents you have to work with, do you think a football game took
place? Support your conclusion in a clearly written paragraph. You should have at least
three pieces of evidence or reasoning to support your opinion. Cite specific textual
evidence from the documents to support your ideas!
I believe that there was indeed a football match held on the Christmas Truce of
1914. There are many reasons why this could be true, one is all of the sources that say
the game did not happen are all secondary sources, all of them from the 21st century.
Also much of what they say is not backed by evidence, in the quote by Mark Connelly, a
professor at the center of war in Kent, UK, says, The notion of two sets of soldiers
simply laying down their arms and waltzing out of the trenches ready to play an
organized game of football is not one I subscribe toothere is no absolute hard
evidence of a match the event has been glorified beyond recognition. The professor
gave no actual proof that it didnt happen, simply making opinionated assumptions
about what he thought with no proof other than, The notion of two sets of soldiers
simply laying down their arms and waltzing out of the trenches ready to play an
organized game of football is not one I subscribe too doesnt convince me. Secondly,
there are quotes from real soldiers that the game really happened. A lieutenant in the
German army told his memory of the game, he said Suddenly a Tommy came with a
football, kicking already and making fun, and then began a football match. We marked
the goals with our caps. Teams were quickly established for a match on the frozen mud,
and the Fritzes beat the Tommies 3-2. This soldier, a real person from the German side

of the army gave details about the game, even telling how they marked the goals and
who won. This can prove the match really happened because this came from a
lieutenant from the army at the time retelling a memory from the war. Why would he
make something up like that? It simply wouldnt make sense that he would lie about
something like that, what would he gain from making a false memory? Thirdly, we know
that the truce really happened. This can prove that a football match actually happened
because the two sides were being friendly with each other for a the day, who knows if
someone got a football out and organized a game. Logically this can be true, if the
soldiers got bored they could have decided to get a ball out and begin playing against
each other. This may all sound like assumptions and opinions but I have evidence to
help me believe this is true. In a letter back home, a British Soldier wrote, and so I hear
it was further north, 1st Royal Battalion playing football with the Germans opposite
them. The soldier wrote this back to someone he loved, it was also a letter he was
sending from the war, we can surely assume that he isnt making any of it up and that it
is all authentic. Also, there is picture from 1914 of two teams playing a football match.
Yes, this could be from anywhere but the players are wearing two different sets of army
uniforms and in the distance it looks to be a small trench behind them. These three
reasons are the why I believe that on the Christmas Truce between the Germans and
British, a football match really did occur.