WW1 CHRISTMAS TRUCE QUOTES

“It was a beautiful moonlit night, frost on the ground, white almost everywhere; and … there was a lot of commotion in the British trenches. And then suddenly lights began to appear along the German parapet, which were evidently make-shift Christmas trees, adorned with lighted candles, which burnt steadily in the frosty air!” – Rifleman Graham Williams

“The spirit of Christmas appeared to have put a spell upon each and all of us. We were in a new country and could see nothing but barbed wire and bare soil and snow.” – Lieutenant Johannes Niemann

“Fancy our party, enemy and friendly being mixed up all over the place, seated at one time inside a Belgian kitchen-range, singing appropriate songs and carols to the accompaniment of a mouth-organ and a squeeze-box!” – Unknown British soldier

“The Germans now produced cigars and cigarettes and these were enjoyed by all. Gradually the two groups [British and German] began to mingle; officers and men exchanged cigarettes and souvenirs.” – Private Ronald MacKinnon

“One of the men came from his trench to the middle—he was a Bavarian—and shouted that they didn’t want to shoot and that they wouldn’t in future. Then we heard many voices, ‘We will not shoot, we will put away our rifles.’” – German soldier Josef Wenzl

“As we have no big guns we had been cannonaded all day. There was a lull in the afternoon and then our men got out and walked about with the Germans.” – Lieutenant John Wedderburn-Maxwell

“We gave them a little presentation at the end of the afternoon and we dished them up a whole lot of hot cocoa, our soldiers. We dished out ration biscuits and soup to two hundred and twenty-five Germans and three officers!” – Unknown British soldier

“Without doubt there was a great desire amongst all ranks to make the best of the time.” – Lieutenant Horace Pippin

“We also exchanged addresses and had to promise to write again, and to send the photos taken. Through this we made new friends and it suits us all well.” – German soldier Alfred Léonard

“By this curious and unofficial Armistice the Germans had got so close that they were able, not only to throw bombs from their trenches into ours this afternoon but they were actually firing revolvers at our men.” – Captain Sir Edward Hulse

“We shouted ‘Hurrah!’ and jumped out of the trenches.” – German soldier Heinrich Bürgel

“A few yards behind, a full trench was soon peopled by excited men. There they were—the actual ‘Huns’—men of all ages and sizes, many with week-old beards. Their clothes were in rags, and they wore clumsy-looking caps, made out of bits of uniform.” – Private Frank Sumpter

“It was not a fight at all; it was more like football.” – Unknown soldier

“Nothing of the kind could have happened between English and French because of our different temperaments. Yet ours and the Germans’ fitted like made-to-measure things.” – French soldier

“Though the rifle-fire ceased, machine-guns were fired at us occasionally, but as the range was long, we did not trouble much about them, but only laughed.” – Private Richard Tobin LOVE IS LIKE A STAR QUOTES

“Grateful for the laughter the air became warmer. So this is what the smell of honey is—how grateful one is for the smell of honey after one has lived between four damp earth walls full of men in byres and straw!” – Lieutenant Johannes Niemann

“They were all the same size as ourselves — and men.” – Private Leslie Walkington

“I shouted out to them in my best German to come out and talk it over peacefully and shook hands with a couple of them. Others began to come out, and I went over and shook hands with one of the Sergeants, then with the rest.” – Private Percy Huggins

“So one of their soldiers got up and came over to us and shook hands; the officer came over and had a talk with one of ours; and so it went on. And here we were laughing and chatting to men whom only a few hours before we were trying to kill!” – Corporal Frederick Heath

“We’ve stayed together and they patted us on the back as to say ‘good men,’ one of the Germans said something in Latin to the others … well then, we started to chat and well, there you have it …. Well, it was so funny.” – German soldier Friedrich Stoll

“Many remain silent just because they have been in hell. They have seen things.” – Unknown soldier

“We seemed to be able to speak in many languages, which helped of course and so we had no difficulty in understanding each other, by words or smiles.” – Private Henry Williamson

“The mist has risen and made things clear like the rising of a spiritual mist. We meet these men who only yesterday were trying to kill us and make us feel that the greatest thing in the world is goodness.” – Unknown soldier

“Our meetings were agreed upon by our respective batmen, though, when the word was passed along, everyone seemed to know who and what to look for more or less.” – Lieutenant Charles Sutton

“They come in peace, their heads held with a sense of morality, of shared suffering. But when it comes to this sense of forgiveness and mutual respect, the moment was not without its hostility.” – Unknown soldier

“We had suddenly discovered that we were a brotherhood of warriors. But I still had no illusions as to why we were position opposite one another.” – Unknown soldier

“At about 30 in the afternoon, the Germans came up their trenches and spent hours fraternizing with our fellows.” – Private Malcolm Brown

“Sniping was the only form of warfare in progress that day.” – Private Albert Moren

“A sudden miracle of peace and good-fellowship… Our minds went back to the ancient times when savage man looked across the narrow bit of water and saw perhaps his enemy in another eye, and they came together, dropped their weapons and embraced.” – Private Edward Heron