12-20-2008, 07:43 PM
12-20-2008, 08:33 PM
Thought I would post one of the letters to give people a feel for times...
CUMBRIA
Letters published in The Whitehaven News:
January 7th, 1915: Maryport Private on the Christmas Truce. Fraternizing with the Germans.
lamp"It was a ripping parcel and we had a grand time over it. To crown all, one of the fellows sharing my "buggy hut" had a parcel on the same day and we combined and invited four more pals, one of whom had a box of Tom Smith's Christmas crackers sent out, which we cracked, and it added to the fun immensely. Christmas in the trenches! What a time? "Peace on earth, goodwill toward men." It is hardly to be believed, but nevertheless it is quite true that such was the case this Christmas. Who can realise it? It will astound everyone who hears about it, which everyone will do in good time. Of course I am speaking about the part of the firing line we are situated in. On Christmas Eve at four p.m. we had orders that unless the "enemy" advanced we were not to fire, and the same applied to Christmas Day. Whether the Germans had the same order or not I don't know but no shot was fired on either side. In Christmas Eve we shouted "Compliments of the Season" to each other, and passed pleasant remarks. We sang the "Austrian Anthem" and they replied with "God save the King." On Christmas Day after service in the trenches, we went halfway and we shook hands, and had a fine crack with them. Quite a number of them speak English. I got one's autograph and he got mine, and I exchanged a button with another, and exchanged cigs and got cigars galore. Altogether we spent a very pleasant two hours with them, and found them a nice lot of fellows. Men, every one of them, and white ones, too. There is heaps more I should like to tell, but I know it would never get passed so it will have to wait.