CHRISTMAS TRUCE 1914
H. W. Bryce
It’ll all be over by Christmas,” was the optimistic
Cry as the young Brits marched off to war.
But come December that year of ’14, it was
Very clear, it would not be. Then came
Christmas eve and Winter set in, as had the war!
Too many bloody deaths already, too tight the
Jaws. Too many bullet-ridden bodies lay about
The scarred battleground, carved into halves with
The front lines marked by face-to-face trenches.
Helmet facing helmet, the men knew, as did their
Leaders, that the land had to be cleared of the
Littered bodies. It was only practical.
And indeed, they did this.
Both sides received Christmas boxes on the eve of the day.
And indeed, the winter frost sparkled as various
Lights struck it. And something struck a light in some hearts.
And spontaneously, a head here and a head there popped up
From the trenches, followed by tentative bodies
On the British side. And Lo! Behold. On the German side, too,
A head popped up here, and a head popped up there…
And on both sides, tentative steps were taken toward
The other side – and the men met in No Man’s Land.
And a spontaneous truce set in, and the men exchanged gifts
And smiles, and a bit of nervous laughter. And then
The christmas spirit took hold and the men sang that
Universal carol of Christmas
SILENT NIGHT, HOLY NIGHT
ALL IS CALM, ALL IS BRIGHT…
It is even written that in some place where these
Spontaneous truces took place, so did football matches,
Brits vs Germans, in great gaiety, in the spirit of
The game. It is also written that the Germans won: 3 – 2.
But this peace on our patch and good will to all men
Was cut short, resulting in orders that any repeat
Of this treason would be prosecuted.
The trenches once again filled with hatred – real or
Enforced to give nerve to follow the orders to kill…
— —
And we are left to wonder: If fighting men can drop their armaments
In the middle of a war to play football and sing carols together,
why in the name of God can’t we do the same in the time of “Peace?”
And hold on to it.
Amen.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
—H. W. Bryce
