Christmas in the Trenches

[mstar1]

Hi Folks,

I heard this song several years ago. I read the true story. It always moves me this time of year. Here are the words to the

song and some accompanying historical notes. I thought you might enjoy

seeing them.

Peace

My name is Francis Tolliver, I come from Liverpool,

Two years ago the war was waiting for me after school.

To Belgium and to Flanders to Germany to here

I fought for King and country I love dear.

'Twas Christmas in the trenches where the frost so bitter hung,

The frozen fields of France were still, no Christmas song was sung,

Our families back in England were toasting us that day,

Their brave and glorious lads so far away.

I was lying with my messmate on the cold and rocky ground

When across the lines of battle came a most peculiar sound

Says I, "Now listen up, me boys!" each soldier strained to hear

As one young German voice sang out so clear.

"He's singing bloody well, you know!" my partner says to me

Soon one by one each German voice joined in in harmony

The cannons rested silent, the gas clouds rolled no more

As Christmas brought us respite from the war.

As soon as they were finished and a reverent pause was spent

"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" struck up some lads from Kent

The next they sang was "Stille Nacht," "Tis 'Silent Night'," says I

And in two tongues one song filled up that sky.

"There's someone coming towards us!" the front line sentry cried

All sights were fixed on one lone figure coming from their side

His truce flag, like a Christmas star, shone on that plain so bright

As he bravely strode unarmed into the night.

Soon one by one on either side walked into No Man's land

With neither gun nor bayonet we met there hand to hand

We shared some secret brandy and we wished each other well

And in a flare-lit soccer game we gave 'em hell.

We traded chocolates, cigarettes, and photographs from home

These sons and fathers far away from families of their own

Young Sanders played his squeeze box and they had a violin

This curious and unlikely band of men.

Soon daylight stole upon us and France was France once more

With sad farewells we each began to settle back to war

But the question haunted every heart that lived that wondrous night

"Whose family have I fixed within my sights?"

'Twas Christmas in the trenches, where the frost so bitter hung

The frozen fields of France were warmed as songs of peace were sung

For the walls they'd kept between us to exact the work of war

Had been crumbled and were gone for evermore.

My name is Francis Tolliver, in Liverpool I dwell

Each Christmas come since World War I I've learned its lessons well

That the ones who call the shots won't be among the dead and lame

And on each end of the rifle we're the same.

©1984 John McCutcheon/Appalsongs (ASCAP)

THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE

On Christmas Day, 1914, in the first year of World War I, German,

British, and French soldiers disobeyed their superiors and fraternized

with

"the enemy" along two-thirds of the Western Front. German troops held

Christmas trees up out of the trenches with signs, "Merry Christmas."

"You

no shoot, we no shoot."

Thousands of troops streamed across a no-man's land strewn with rotting

corpses.

They sang Christmas carols, exchanged photographs of loved ones back

home,

shared rations, played football, even roasted some pigs. Soldiers

embraced men

they had been trying to kill a few short hours before. They agreed to

warn each other

if the top brass forced them to fire their weapons, and to aim high.

A shudder ran through the high command on either side. Here was

disaster

in the making: soldiers declaring their brotherhood with each other

and

refusing to fight. Generals on both sides declared this spontaneous

peacemaking to be treasonous and subject to court martial. By March,

1915

the fraternization movement had been eradicated and the war was back

in full operation. By the time of the armistice in 1918, fifteen

million

would be slaughtered.

Not many people have heard the story of the Christmas Truce. Military

leaders have not gone out of their way to publicize it. On Christmas

Day,

1988, a story in the Boston Globe mentioned that a local FM radio host

played "Christmas in the Trenches," a ballad about the Christmas

Truce,

several times and was startled by the effect. The song became the most

requested recording during the holidays in Boston on several FM

stations.

"Even more startling than the number of requests I get is the reaction

to

the ballad afterward by callers who hadn't heard it before," said the

radio host.

"They telephone me deeply moved, sometimes in tears, asking, `What the

hell

did I just hear?'"

The Christmas Truce story goes against most of what we have been

taught

about people. It gives us a glimpse of the world as we wish it could be

and says,

"This really happened once." It reminds us of those thoughts we keep

hidden away,

out of range of the TV and newspaper stories that tell us how trivial

and mean

human life is. It is like hearing that our deepest wishes really are

true: The world

really could be different.

Excerpted from David G. Stratman

German and Russian soldiers together on the eastern front-Christmas 1914

Edited December 18, 2006 by mstar1

[ChattyKathy]

Very touching mstar. Thank you my friend.Have a peaceful holiday season. And I hope you don't mind if I brought this to your thread. Soldiers in Iraq singing.

[Sushi]

I'm not a big country music fan, but didn't Garth Brooks do a song aboutt this?

[mstar1]

He may have-I dont know- I havent followed Brooks' career very closely.

McCutcheon is a folkie, and wrote this song which repopularized the event that made quite an impact at the time, but (at least to a lot of people) was lost in the mists of time.

The story has since been researched and written about quite a bit as one of those times out of the norm when people in the even the most unlikely situations still had the good sense to believe in outmoded ideas like "Peace on Earth and good will toward men"

Of course the commanders would have none of it and straightened them out, to eventually slaughter a good portion of Europe by the end of the war, but for a moment -a brief moment -- something about Christmas really lived....and crossed uncrossable divides

This is an excerpt from an unknown British soldiers letter describing the day

This will be the most memorable Christmas I've ever spent or likely to spend: since about tea time yesterday I don't think theres been a shot fired on either side up to now. Last night turned a very clear frost moonlight night, so soon after dusk we had some decent fires going and had a few carols and songs. The Germans commenced by placing lights all along the edge of their trenches and coming over to us - wishing us a Happy Christmas etc. They also gave us a few songs etc. so we had quite a social party. Several of them can speak English very well so we had a few conversations. Some of our chaps went to over to their lines. I think theyve all come back bar one from 'E' Co. They no doubt kept him as a souvenir. In spite of our fires etc. it was terribly cold and a job to sleep between look out duties, which are two hours in every six.

First thing this morning it was very foggy. So we stood to arms a little longer than usual. A few of us that were lucky could go to Holy Communion early this morning. It was celebrated in a ruined farm about 500 yds behind us. I unfortunately couldnt go. There must be something in the spirit of Christmas as to day we are all on top of our trenches running about. Whereas other days we have to keep our heads well down. We had breakfast about 8.0 which went down alright especially some cocoa we made. We also had some of the post this morning. I had a parcel from B. G's Lace Dept containing a sweater, smokes, under clothes etc. We also had a card from the Queen, which I am sending back to you to look after please. After breakfast we had a game of football at the back of our trenches! We've had a few Germans over to see us this morning. They also sent a party over to bury a sniper we shot in the week. He was about a 100 yds from our trench. A few of our fellows went out and helped to bury him.

About 10.30 we had a short church parade the morning service etc. held in the trench. How we did sing. 'O come all ye faithful. And While shepherds watched their flocks by night' were the hymns we had. At present we are cooking our Christmas Dinner! so will finish this letter later.

Dinner is over! and well we enjoyed it. Our dinner party started off with fried bacon and dip-bread: followed by hot Xmas Pudding. I had a mascot in my piece. Next item on the menu was muscatels and almonds, oranges, bananas, chocolate etc followed by cocoa and smokes. You can guess we thought of the dinners at home. Just before dinner I had the pleasure of shaking hands with several Germans: a party of them came 1/2way over to us so several of us went out to them. I exchanged one of my balaclavas for a hat. I've also got a button off one of their tunics. We also exchanged smokes etc. and had a decent chat. They say they won't fire tomorrow if we don't so I suppose we shall get a bit of a holiday - perhaps. After exchanging autographs and them wishing us a Happy New Year we departed and came back and had our dinner.

We can hardly believe that we've been firing at them for the last week or two - it all seems so strange....

[dmiller]

SNOPES.COM

[Mister P-Mosh]

Along these lines, I highly recommend the movie Joyeux Noel about the Christmas truce.

[frickafrack]

Along these lines, I highly recommend the movie Joyeux Noel about the Christmas truce.

i think i saw that movie, or something on PBS or The History Channel

as i was reading this thread, i was remembering

it's been years though

it's probably time that all people lay down their "guns" and "flags" when it comes to their "faith"

too much warring in the name of .....

MY GOD:

has no name

has never started or been involved in any war

has never instructed me to hurt someone

is fluid, ever-changing and full of life

is spirit and truth

is loving and guiding

cannot be offended

cannot be defended

cannot be contained in a book

Even my attempt to express it with words fails....but that's the best i've got

I think the men in the freezing feilds that night understood