christmas 1915

[mykola]

which songs were sung, by whom and who started. All through the night, the welsh hymn silent night or good king wenceslass. please help & many thanks.

[Cetti]

I believe you may be talking about 'The Christmas Truce' of 1914 - Jan 1915. This was the one and only truce that took place during the Great War. As you will see from the link the Germans began singing Stille Nacht (Silent Night) then unknown to British soldiers.

http://216.239.39.104/search?q=cache:N27A_6MKnX8J:
www.schooltimes.com/centurysample.pdf+christmas+1915+%2B+carols+in+trenches&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

[archbishop]

What was the score of the football match they played?

[Cetti]

The score was 3 -2 to the Germans.

http://www.footballpoets.org/ChristmasTruce.asp

[Cetti]

mykola, if you see this - the British sang 'Good King Wenceslas'.

[Maudlettice]

If you read through Cetti's link, you will find reference to the East Surrey's dribbling footballs forward whilst attacking. My father (sadly no longer with us) was in one of those groups and I still have the cap badge and one shoulder flash worn by him during that attack (after five hours of fighting he was wounded, hence the missing shoulder flash). One of his brothers simply vanished from a shell burst during the first battle of Ypres and his name is inscribed on the Menin Gate. Another was killed during an advance towards the Somme and is buried in a war cemetery in Poperinge. Four of his cousins were wounded together in a group and were taken to the military hospital at Etretat. All died, and their headstones are still in the hospital military cemetery there.