By Harry Mottram: After just five months of fighting on the Western Front in 1914 the German, British, Belgium and French armies had fought each other to a standstill with trenches stretching from the English Channel to the Alps. The first Christmas in the war saw something extraordinary with some British and German troops briefly meeting in no-man’s land to exchange cigarettes, basic rations and even to kick a football around. It led to the difficult to pin down myth or fact that became known as The Christmas truce.
Axbridge songwriter and musician Barry Walsh has released a CD to raise cash for the Poppy Appeal, entitled Playing That Beautiful Game, by No Mans Land. The song eulogises the story of The Christmas truce in which a game of football was played between the troops. The songwriter aimed at raising £1,000 for the appeal with sales of the CD – but he has already smashed the target. He said: “What started out as a bit of fun in writing a Christmas song has developed into a wonderful ‘Christmas Poppy Appeal’. The response has been bonkers with people supporting us. We have now reached more than £1,300 towards our £1k target and donations continue to roll in. Thankyou everyone for being so supportive I hope you feel proud and Christmassy as ‘No Man’s Land’ in raising this money for the ‘Poppy Appeal’”
The Imperial War Museum has a section on the Christmas Truce and they record on their website these details: “The Christmas Truce has become one of the most famous and mythologised events of the First World War. But what was the real story behind the truce? Why did it happen and did British and German soldiers really play football in no-man’s land? Late on Christmas Eve 1914, men of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) heard German troops in the trenches opposite them singing carols and patriotic songs and saw lanterns and small fir trees along their trenches. Messages began to be shouted between the trenches. The following day, British and German soldiers met in no man’s land and exchanged gifts, took photographs and some played impromptu games of football. They also buried casualties and repaired trenches and dugouts.”
The truce flew in the face of the nationalist ideas behind the war – with the soldiers seemingly questioning what the point of it was since they were so similar. The press also reported on the truce – some in favour – some like the military commanders totally against. The outcome was it was not to happen again and the war was the drag on for another four years leaving thousands of young men and many civilians dead, wounded or traumatised.
Credits: Barry Walsh (composer), musicians Alan Drew, Rich Lanham and Carl Simmonds, with additional vocals from Alex Mcliquhan Jones. Recorded by Carl Simmonds in Pinewood Audio in Pontypool.
You can listen to the song at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymuiAtlvzkA but better still order a copy from Barry by sending him a personal message on FaceBook.
The Imperial War Museum has much on the truce at: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-real-story-of-the-christmas-truce
The photo is from the Imperial War Museum and shows: British and German soldiers fraternising at Ploegsteert, Belgium, on Christmas Day 1914, Front of 11th Brigade, 4th Division.
Axbridge News:
Harry Mottram compiles Axbridge News for his own interest and those of fellow residents.
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