WWI 1914, Christmas Day British and German soldiers stopped fighting sang carols, exchanged gifts, and supposedly even played football

In the midst of the unrelenting violence of World War I, a ceasefire suddenly swept across areas of the Western front in 1914. Massive amounts of life had already been extinguished, but there was one circumstance that halted the brutality and bloodshed.

It was the first Christmas of the war. It was a day for peace – if only fleeting.

On the night before Christmas, Captain Arthur O’Sullivan of the British army’s Royal Irish Rifles was stationed in Rue du Bois, France. He heard a German accent float from across the barracks. It said, “Do not shoot after 12 o’clock and we will not do so either.” Then, “If you English come out and talk to us, we won’t fire.”

One Irish rifleman ventured out of his trench to test the invitation. After arriving back safely with a German cigar as a gift, others made their way onto the still battlefield. No Man’s Land filled with soldiers meeting each other halfway.

And so began the unofficial Christmas Truce of 1914.

The Incredible True Story Of The World War 1 Christmas Truce
By Erin Kelly
Published December 17, 2017
Updated December 15, 2020
During the Christmas Truce of 1914, British and German soldiers sang carols, exchanged gifts, and supposedly even played a soccer game.

Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix/Getty Images
British officers from Northumberland Hussars meet their German counterparts in No Man’s Land of the Bridoux-Rouge Banc Sector of the Western Front during the Christmas Truce of 1914.

In the midst of the unrelenting violence of World War I, a ceasefire suddenly swept across areas of the Western front in 1914. Massive amounts of life had already been extinguished, but there was one circumstance that halted the brutality and bloodshed.

It was the first Christmas of the war. It was a day for peace – if only fleeting.

On the night before Christmas, Captain Arthur O’Sullivan of the British army’s Royal Irish Rifles was stationed in Rue du Bois, France. He heard a German accent float from across the barracks. It said, “Do not shoot after 12 o’clock and we will not do so either.” Then, “If you English come out and talk to us, we won’t fire.”

One Irish rifleman ventured out of his trench to test the invitation. After arriving back safely with a German cigar as a gift, others made their way onto the still battlefield. No Man’s Land filled with soldiers meeting each other halfway.

And so began the unofficial Christmas Truce of 1914.

The Christmas Truce Was A Welcome Respite To Weary Soldiers

Wikimedia Commons
An artist’s impression of the Christmas Truce of 1914 from The Illustrated London News: “British and German Soldiers Arm-in-Arm Exchanging Headgear: A Christmas Truce between Opposing Trenches”.

By December 1914, trench warfare was in full swing and already there were some 405,000 casualties.

Earlier that month, Pope Benedict XV suggested a temporary hiatus for the holiday, but the warring countries refused to create an official cease-fire — so the soldiers took it upon themselves to lay down their arms.

The Christmas truce also provided the armies with time to collect their deceased soldiers from the fields and bury them. This gesture meant a lot in terms of respect for the dead for both sides.

Universal History Archive/UIG/Getty Images
Photograph of soldiers playing football in No Man’s Land during the Christmas truce.

And so, along the front lines in France and Belgium on Christmas eve, soldiers heard carols in the distance. German troops sang “Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht” (“Silent Night, Holy Night”) and the Allied troops chimed in – singing in alternating languages.

Cautiously, more soldiers began to join in on the celebrations. Germans held up lanterns and called to the British, assuring them in broken English that they wouldn’t shoot. Instead, they wished them a Merry Christmas. Men from both sides intermingled, shook hands, and shared cigarettes and food.

Some, despite a great debate of the event, even say that a soccer game broke out.

Historian Alan Wakefield said, “If it happened — and there are very few collaborative accounts — there’s second, third-hand accounts of somebody hearing of a game going on somewhere.” However, if you’re keeping score, those who heard about it happening said the game ended three to two for the Germans.

The truce is attributed to the last of the romanticized, “gentlemanly” soldiers of the era. These men confronted their enemies face to face. Military strategies may have certainly changed, but it’s comforting to know that on one frosty Christmas morning, adversaries laid down their arms. That they extended hands in a gesture of peace; however temporary it may be. Another holiday truce of this kind has never been recorded.