Christmas in the Trenches (5 page)

The King’s 1915 Christmas Message to his Troops

Failure by either side to win the war in 1914 led to reassessments of strategy and the realisation that the goal of decisive victory would be difficult to achieve. Increasingly the belligerents began planning for a long war, where the full resources of the competing nations needed to be harnessed for their war efforts. By early 1915, 110 Allied divisions faced 100 German divisions on the Western Front and, in the east, 83 Russian divisions faced 80 from the Central Powers.

For the BEF, 1915 was a year of disappointment. The Battle of Neuve Chapelle (10–13 March), although beginning encouragingly, was soon bedevilled by communication breakdowns and an inability to deliver reinforcements at critical moments. The pattern was repeated during the Battle of Loos, which began on 25 September in support of a major French offensive in the Champagne. Increasingly ill-considered attacks, poor handling of reserve, heavy casualties and little in the way of territorial gains paved the way for the replacement of Sir John French by Sir Douglas Haig as commander of the BEF in December. When fighting in the west petered out for the year in November, there had been 60,000 British, 250,000 French and 140,000 German casualties. The war had also taken on a nastier face through the use of gas, the Germans getting off the mark first with this new weapon on 22 April 1915 in the Ypres Salient and the British replying during the Battle of Loos.

For the front-line soldier, gas was just another problem to be faced in an increasingly mechanised war. However, as Christmas approached, of more concern for the troops on both sides were the conditions in which they lived and fought as wet winter weather began turning heavily shelled areas into quagmires:

All the trenches are in a deplorable condition.
BARNTON
RD
– the main communication trench is only usable as far as the
OLD
BRITISH
LINE
(reserve line) and the front line is divided into various small ‘Islands’ – each inaccessible from the other except by night – when the method employed is to go over the parapet. Relieving is of course only possible at night and has to be done overland, the trenches being in many cases five feet deep in water. The weather is wet, which does not tend to make matters easier.
¹
(
War diary, 21st Royal Fusiliers
)

Many of the hastily constructed British trenches lacked shelters for the men who inevitably suffered greatly from exposure to the rain, snow, water and mud. Even so, morale among the infantry remained high:

We get a good many regiments of infantry pass here, on their way to and from the trenches. They don’t half sing on their way back for a rest, and poor beggars, I don’t wonder at it. They come out bedraggled and wet and smothered in mud from head to foot, but their spirit is simply wonderful. All laughing and cracking jokes, whistling and singing, they treat the whole thing as a joke. One would think they were on a picnic instead of a very bitter war.
²
(
Gnr Cecil Christopher, 47th Siege Battery, RGA
)

From early December, men of the BEF began to receive Christmas parcels from home. Although these often included home-made foods, the number of commercially produced edibles and ‘comforts’, including warm clothing and rubber boots, increased as department stores such as Harrods, Fortnum & Mason and Selfridges began to set up war comforts departments or produce catalogues of items suitable for sending to men at the front. Soon relatives were even able to purchase complete, pre-packaged, ‘standard’ boxes of food and ‘comforts’. Harrods, for example, offered boxes for men serving on the Western Front, those in the Middle East and Dardanelles and even one for prisoners of war. But, wherever they came from, such extras were always welcome and at Christmas time especially the arrival of a parcel made the men think of happier days at home:

I must tell you I have just had my first Xmas pudding and a mince pie what one of our chaps as just had come so I daresay I am in front of you at home this year but I wish I wasent not half for as you must guess we would rather be at home for Xmas but still Dear Mother we must cheer up as best we can and make the best of a bad job for this as got to be done but we all hope to come back some day to you all if we are spared which I hope we shall be and I have had nother letter from the little boy at Northampton and he sent a packet of Woodbines in it so he a good boy is’ent he. So now Dear Mother I hope I shall get your parcel quite safe and I will let you know as soon as I get it and now Dear Mother I hope this will find you and all quite well as I am pleased to say I am at the present. So I will now conclude with my fondest Love and kisses to you and all for I remain your ever loving son Will xxxxxxxxxx for the girls.
³
(
Pte William Fall, 1st Entrenching Battalion, 2nd Canadian Division
)

Not all soldiers were fortunate enough to receive gifts from home, but their comrades would often share the contents of parcels and, on occasion, even went a step further:

Now Mother, I have a little favour to ask you, which I know will give you pleasure to carry out. It is this. We have a fellow here with us who hasn’t a solitary relation in the world. That I know will be quite sufficient to tell you. We all seem to be getting parcels now except him, so I want you to send him a small parcel. It wont reach him till after Xmas, but I know the thoughts and wishes will be appreciated just the same. The fellows name is No. 35127 Gnr Overton, 47 Siege Battery.
⁴
(
Gnr Cecil Christopher
)

As for Christmas itself, the military authorities were united in their determination to prevent anything like the truce of the previous year from happening again. The Germans went so far as to declare that any of their soldiers found leaving the trenches to fraternise with the enemy could be shot for desertion. Within the BEF matters were not quite so draconian but firm instructions were given against any form of trucing with the enemy. Typical of these was a confidential memo from HQ, 140th Infantry Brigade, dated 19 December 1915:

The GOC directs me to remind you of the unauthorized truce which occurred on Christmas Day at one or two places in the line last year, and to impress upon you that nothing of the kind is allowed on the Divisional front this year.

The Artillery will maintain a slow gun fire on the enemy’s trenches commencing at dawn, and every opportunity will as usual be taken to inflict casualties upon any of the enemy exposing themselves. (
War Diary 1/8th Londons
)

On receipt of such instructions, some battalion commanders stressed the matter by issuing their own directives:

With reference to the above, the Brigadier wishes you to give the strictest orders to all ranks on the subject, and any man attempting to communicate either by signal or word of mouth or by any other means is to be seriously punished. All snipers and machine guns are to be in readiness to fire on any German showing above the parapet. (
War Diary 1/8th Londons
)

Such concern was to a degree well placed as small-scale but prolonged fraternisation had taken place between British and German infantry at St Eloi in November and relations between opposing troops remained somewhat jovial on other sectors of the line:

4 December 1915
: At 10am a good deal of excitement caused by Germans standing on their parapet and holding up their hands. A message was sent by them to the Regiment on our left suggesting that the British would find more comfort as prisoners than as soldiers. Our artillery and snipers promptly replied to the proposal. (
War Diary 1/4th Suffolks
).

Such behaviour continued in places despite growing feelings of bitterness towards the enemy. On the British side, the Germans’ use of poison gas, bombing of British towns by Zeppelins and events such as the sinking of the liner
Lusitania
ensured there were fewer men inclined to have a friendly disposition towards the enemy than during the Christmas of 1914 and most troops in forward positions simply marked Christmas within their own unit:

We had just arranged this spread on Christmas day, when the Germans started ‘strafing’ us, but we still continued our feast and laughed at them. You may bet we enjoyed ourself to the full all day, as we did practically nothing all day and in the evening after we had all got into bed we had a few harmonized Carols which went down very well.
⁵
(
Gnr Ray Christopher, 47th Siege Battery, RGA
)

What military commanders wanted was for all their men to actively reject any peaceful overtures from the opposing lines, something that the 21st Division around Armentières appear to have carried out to the letter:

Xmas Day, comparatively quiet.

On the right the enemy appeared to want a Christmas truce as he was heard shouting ‘We want peace’. What he got was five rounds rapid from six men.

The left sector report that the enemy showed the same disinclination to fraternize as we did. He kept up his sniping and sounds of jollification were conspicuous by their absence.
⁶

Some senior officers took personal steps to check that their troops were not engaged in any form of fraternisation. For example, on the front of the 1st Division the GOC, Maj Gen A. Holland, personally walked the whole length of the divisional front line and back along the reserve line on Christmas Day.

However, trucing did not entirely stop in 1915. At Laventie, close to where British and German troops had met the previous year, units of the Guards Division fraternised with their opponents:

The German infantry (14th Prussians) came out of their trenches and walked towards our line. We did not fire on them as they had no equipment or arms of any sort. Some of our fellows went over to meet them. They shook hands and exchanged greetings, they also exchanged money and cigarettes etc. (
Pte William Tate, 2nd Coldstream Guards
)

The episode shocked the divisional commander, Maj Gen the Earl of Cavan, who quickly penned a report to XI Corps HQ:

I much regret to report that in spite of special orders there was some communication held between the lines occupied by the Guards Division and the 13th Bavarian Reserve Regiment this morning.

I have seen the Brigadiers concerned who were on the spot within 20 minutes of hearing of the episode and our men were back in the trenches within 30 to 40 minutes after first going out.

I have ordered a full and searching enquiry to be made tomorrow as to how my implicit orders came to be disobeyed, which I will forward in due course.

Large parties of unarmed Germans were the first to appear, but this is no excuse, and I regret the incident more than I can say.

On 26 December, 1st and 2nd Brigades held courts of inquiry into the incidents and the results were taken in person by Cavan to Gen Sir Richard Haking, commanding XIth Corps. On 29 December matters escalated with 1st Army calling for a report from XIth Corps as to the wording and transmission of orders issued to brigades, battalions, and companies forbidding fraternisation. On 4 January 1916, repercussions of the fraternisation hit the 1st Scots Guards with the arrest of their temporary commanding officer, Capt Miles Barne, and company commander, Capt Sir Iain Colquhoun. Their court martial began on 18 January, and representing the two officers as ‘prisoners’ friend’ was Raymond Asquith, son of the British Prime Minister, who had met and become firm friends with Colquhoun while the latter was home on leave. The result of the hearing saw Barne acquitted and Colquhoun recommended for a reprimand. However, his punishment was remitted by Sir Douglas Haig because of Colquhoun’s previous distinguished conduct in the field. Despite the flurry of investigation into the incident and prior warnings that severe action would be taken against individuals fraternising with the enemy, Barne and Colquhoun were the only two men to face censure over the event.

Behind the front line, troops were in a better position to celebrate Christmas, although enemy artillery fire and the usual round of fatigues and working parties intruded to some extent:

All through December 1915 we had been holding the line in the Neuve Chapelle Section but were in close support billets for Christmas, that meant we were responsible for supplying carrying parties to take up rations, water and anything else that was required by the men in the Front Line.

Although in support billets no kind of entertainment was laid on for us but of course we had to be always in readiness to answer a ‘stand to’ call if necessary, but we had extra rations and an attempt was made to make the best of it and as much relaxation as was allowed. The front line was about a mile away but in spite of that there were some civilians living around, mainly farm peasants and it was possible to get a meal of egg and chips, coffee, etc at some of the cottages of which some of us made use. (
Rfm Harry Gore, 12th Rifle Brigade
)

Most units reserved festive celebrations for the time closest to 25 December when they were billeted behind the lines at rest. This meant that troops could be found celebrating Christmas for three or four weeks around the actual date. Here the contents of parcels could be enjoyed, if they arrived on time, units organised Christmas dinners of numerous courses, sports competitions were run and concert parties could be visited.

In the village of Humbercamps the 13th Rifle Brigade, which came out of the line on 20 December, were one such unit:

It was Christmas Day at last. After an early parade we were dismissed for the day and while our cooks, with several self-appointed helpers, attended to such things as required cooking, the rest went to the village school which we had taken for the day and set up tables and prepared the stage. Never was there such a feast as we had that day. Never were there such turkeys, or ducks, or sausages, or puddings, or mince pies, or anything else that we consumed that Christmas. After a visit by the Colonel, the Adjutants, and our own Officers, all of whom wished us ‘A Merry Christmas’, and congratulated us on the well laden tables, we drank to ‘The King’ and thereafter the fun raged fast and furious. Mineral waters were provided in plenty for those of us who were teetotal and then, satisfied at last, we turned to the stage and prepared ourselves for the concert that was to follow. I have mentioned before that one of our number was an ex-music hall artist and there were others equally capable of helping to give a really good show, though we were by no means disposed to be critical. The village school mistress, a young French girl refugee from Lille, attended, perhaps fearing for the safety of the school property, but although enjoying ourselves to the full, we did no damage; she did not know any English and probably thought us more than a little mad, but as I say we heartily enjoyed ourselves and about 11pm we had to break up and return to our billets – if some had to be taken back, singing with all the power of their lungs, in a transport limber, there was, I think, some excuse for them. (
Rfm J.A. Johnston
)