Christmas 1915 Football Game

On December 24, 1915, northern France saw one of the most amazing sigts of humanity of all of World War One. Legend has it that on Christmas Day 1915, soldiers from both sides of the trenches in World War One met up in No-Man’s-Land for a game of football. Nothing official was kept of this brief meeting on Christmas Day between the enemies, so our knowledge of what took place has always been somewhat patchy.

Christmas Eve

The Royal Welch Fusiliers reportedly heard the Germans of the Central Powers singing Silent Night from across No Man's Land (the empty land between the Entente and Central Powers' trenches). The Royal Welch Fusiliers then sang back Good King Wenceslas.

Christmas Day

On Christmas Day, after some shouting between both trenches, the Royal Welch Fusiliers got out of their icy trench and greeted the Germans. Bertie Felstead, a Corporal in the Fusiliers, recalled that the Germans probably were already out of their trench before the British got out. He claimed that nothing was planned and that what happened was entirely spontaneous. [ [http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/christmas-1915-world-war-one.htm ::Christmas 1915 World War One:: ] ] A football was produced from somewhere – though none could recall from where. "It was not a game as such – more of a kick-around and a free-for-all. There could have been 50 on each side for all I know. I played because I really liked football. I don’t know how long it lasted, probably half-an-hour, and no-one was keeping score." [Bertie Felstead|url|http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/christmas-1915-world-war-one.htm]

End of Peace

The truce ended when a British major ordered the British soldiers back to their trench with a reminder that "they were there to kill the Hun not to make friends with him." The mood of Christmas friendliness was shortly broken by the firing of British artillery.

Participants

* The British Army
* The German Army

Legacy

The game was referenced in the popular British sitcom Blackadder Goes Forth. However, in July of 2001, the last living participant of the football game, Bertie Felstead aged 106, died.

References