1. British General Congreves letter, written to his wife on Christmas Day, 1914.

Listen to audio of the letter

audio of letter

Transcript of the letter: Xmas Day [1914]

Darling dear as I cannot be with you all, the next best thing is to write to you for so I get closer.
We have had a seasonable weather day which means sharp frost & fog & never a smich [smidge?] of sun. I
went to church with two of my battalions in an enormous factory room & after lunch took down to the North
Staffords in my old trenches at Rue du Bois Mothers gifts of toffee, sweets, cigarettes, pencils, handkerchiefs
& writing paper.
There I found an outstanding state of affairs this a.m. a German shouted out that they wanted a days truce
& would one come out if he did; so very cautiously one of our men lifted himself above the parapet & saw a
German doing the same. Both got out then more, and finally all day long in that particular place they have
been walking about together all day giving each other cigars & singing songs. Officers as well as men were out
and the German Colonel himself was talking to one of our Captains.
My informant, one of the men, said he had had a fine day and had smoked a cigar with the best shot in the
German army, then not more than 18. They say hes killed more of our men than any other 12 together but I
know now where he shoots from so I hope we down him tomorrow. I hope devoutly they will next door the
two battalions opposite each other were shooting away all day and so I hear it was further north, 1st Royal
Battalion playing football with the Germans opposite them - next reports shooting each other.
I was invited to go and see the Germans myself but refrained as I thought they might not be able to resist a
General. Frank Lyon came over this afternoon and brought me a note book from John & the enclosed letter
from Henry Wilson to whom you can write your thanks. Tom Holland, looking very tall and gaunt, came to
lunch with me yesterday. He also is at General Hd. Qtrs. He was just like his pleasant self

2. Mark Connelly, Professor at the Center for War (Kent, UK, 2014)
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 to
"there is no absolute hard, verifiable evidence of a match . . . the event has been glorified beyond recognition.

3. Lieutenant Johannes Niemann, German soldier. (1914)

Suddenly a Tommy [nickname for English soldier] 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 [Germans] beat the Tommies [English] 3-2.
4. BBC: British Broadcasting Corporation (2016) by Dan Snow
Spontaneously, they exchanged gifts and took photos - but it was an opportunity to leave the damp of the
trenches and tend to the dead and wounded of No Mans Land. There wasn't a single organised football match
between German and British sides. There may have been small-scale kick-abouts but these were just one of
many different activities men took the time to enjoy. Meanwhile, in other places along the front, like Yser,
bloody battles took place over the Christmas period and those that dared to come above the parapet were
met not by gifts but gunfire.

5. Shirley Seaton, who co-authored the book "Christmas Truce" (2014)

the ground on Christmas Day was frozen, destroyed by shells and littered with dead bodies. The 'football
match' has been falsely blown up" Seaton told CNN

6. Unnamed soldier, from Leicestershire, England (1914)

We had a rather sad occurrence on Christmas Day. On Christmas morning some of our fellows shouted across
to the Germans saying that if they would not fire, our chaps would meet them halfway between the trenches
and spend Christmas Day as friends. They consented to do so. Our chaps at once went out, and when in the
open the Germans fired on them, killing two and wounding many more.

7. Photo 1914

British and German troops pictured 9th January 1915 as the Christmas truce extends into the New Year.
(Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Above: In one of the most widely circulated photographs of the Truce, Saxon-German regimental troops
shared cigarettes with soldiers of the 5th London Rifle Brigade in Ploegsteert, Belgium, south of Ypres.
8. Published in The Guardian Tuesday 23 December 2014 19.02 EST Last modified on Tuesday 23 December
2014 19.13 EST
A letter from Alfred Dougan Chater describes the temporary no-mans land truce on Christmas Day 1914.

It was penned (written) 100 years ago in the freezing trenches of the western front; a letter from a British
army officer to his mother describing in vivid detail the extraordinary Christmas truce as soldiers from both
sides laid down their weapons. Second Lt Alfred Dougan Chater, of the 2nd Gordon Highlanders, writes of the
moment when the men met in no-mans land, exchanging souvenirs and cigars as impromptu truces were held
along parts of the front between Christmas and New Year, with joint burial parties for the dead. The letter has
been reproduced by the Royal Mail, with permission from the Chater family, to mark the anniversary of the
historic truce and the role played by the postal service during the first world war.

Dated Christmas Day and signed Dougan, the letter reads: Dearest Mother, I am writing this in the trenches
in my dug out with a wood fire going and plenty of straw it is rather cosy, although it is freezing hard and
real Christmas weather.

I think I have seen today one of the most extraordinary sights that anyone has ever seen. About 10 oclock
this morning I was peeping over the parapet when I saw a German, waving his arms, and presently two of
them got out of their trench and came towards ours.

We were just going to fire on them when we saw they had no rifles, so one of our men went to meet them
and in about two minutes the ground between the two lines of trenches was swarming with men and officers
of both sides, shaking hands and wishing each other a happy Christmas.

Alfred Dougan Chaters letter describes the moment soldiers on both sides left the trenches and met at
no-mans land, where they exchanged souvenirs and cigars. Photograph: Royal Mail/Simon Chater/PA

This continued for about half an hour when most of the men were ordered back to the trenches. For the rest
of the day nobody has fired a shot and the men have been wandering about at will on the top of the parapet
and carrying straw and firewood about in the open we have also had joint burial parties with a service for
some dead, some German and some ours, who were lying out between the lines.
He writes of shaking hands himself with several of the German officers and subsequently describes another
parley with the Germans in the middle where cigarettes and autographs were exchanged and some more
people took photos.

I dont know how long it will go on for I believe it was supposed to stop yesterday, but we can hear no firing
going on along the front today except a little distant shelling. We are, at any rate, having another truce on
New Years Day, as the Germans want to see how the photos come out!

The letter paints a picture of seasonal goodwill amid a war in which there is so much bitterness and ill
feeling. The Germans in this part of the line are sportsmen if they are nothing else, he continues.

9. The Christmas Truce By Aaron Shepard Printed in Australias School Magazine, Apr. 2001
PREVIEW: A true story of peace in the midst of World War I.
GENRE: Historical fiction

Across the way, we could make out groups of two or three men starting out of trenches and coming toward
us. Then some of us were climbing out too, and in minutes more, there we were in No Mans Land, over a
hundred soldiers and officers of each side, shaking hands with men wed been trying to kill just hours earlier!
Before long a bonfire was built, and around it we mingledBritish khaki and German grey. I must say,
the Germans were the better dressed, with fresh uniforms for the holiday.
Only a couple of our men knew German, but more of the Germans knew English. I asked one of them
why that was.
Because many have worked in England! he said. Before all this, I was a waiter at the Hotel Cecil.
Perhaps I waited on your table!
Perhaps you did! I said, laughing.
He told me he had a girlfriend in London and that the war had interrupted their plans for marriage. I
said, Dont worry. Well have you beat by Easter, then you can come back and marry the girl.
He laughed at that. Then he asked if Id send her a postcard hed give me later, and I promised I would.
Another German had been a porter at Victoria Station. He showed me a picture of his family back in
Munich. His eldest sister was so lovely, I told him I should like to meet her someday. He beamed and said he
would like that very much and gave me his familys address.
Even those who could not converse could still exchange giftsour cigarettes for their cigars, our tea for
their coffee, our corned beef for their sausage. Badges and buttons from uniforms changed owners, and one
of our lads walked off with the infamous spiked helmet! I myself traded a jackknife for a leather equipment
belta fine souvenir to show when I get home.
Newspapers too changed hands, and the Germans howled with laughter at ours. They assured us that
France was finished and Russia nearly beaten too. We told them that was nonsense, and one of them said,
Well, you believe your newspapers and well believe ours.
Clearly they are lied toyet after meeting these men, I wonder how truthful our own newspapers have
been. These are not the savage barbarians weve read so much about. They are men with homes and
families, hopes and fears, principles and, yes, love of country. In other words, men like ourselves. Why are we
led to believe otherwise?
As it grew late, a few more songs were traded around the fire, and then all joined in forI am not lying
to youAuld Lang Syne. Then we parted with promises to meet again tomorrow, and even some talk of a
football match.
10. Written by British Captain John Lew to his wife.