Step 3:
Read the following letter from the front of the trenches during WW1. The letter is from corporal Robert Renton, who served in the English army.
Read the following letter from the front of the trenches during WW1. The letter is from corporal Robert Renton, who served in the English army.
I never thought we would spend Christmas the way we did. We were in the trenches on Christmas day. On Christmas Eve the Germans in front of us started singing what appeared to be hymns. We were shouting for encores (their trenches are only about 150 yards in front of us), and they kept the singing up all night.
On Christmas Day some of them started to shout across to us, to come over for a drink.
It started with one or two going over half-way and meeting the Germans between the two lines of trenches; then it got that there was a big crowd of German and British, all standing together shaking hands and wishing each other a merry Christmas. They were giving us cigars and cheroots to exchange for cigarettes and some of them had bottles of whisky. They seemed a decent crowd that was in front of us.
They were all fairly well-dressed and the majority of them could speak broken English. Some of them could speak it as well as myself. They said they were not going to fire for three days. They kept their word too: there was no rifle fire for two days after Christmas. There were two dead Frenchmen between our lines. We could never get out to bury them ‘till that day. The Germans helped us to dig the grave. One of their officers held a service over the graves. It was a sight worth seeing and one not easily forgotten; both Germans and British paying respect to the French dead.
On Christmas Day some of them started to shout across to us, to come over for a drink.
It started with one or two going over half-way and meeting the Germans between the two lines of trenches; then it got that there was a big crowd of German and British, all standing together shaking hands and wishing each other a merry Christmas. They were giving us cigars and cheroots to exchange for cigarettes and some of them had bottles of whisky. They seemed a decent crowd that was in front of us.
They were all fairly well-dressed and the majority of them could speak broken English. Some of them could speak it as well as myself. They said they were not going to fire for three days. They kept their word too: there was no rifle fire for two days after Christmas. There were two dead Frenchmen between our lines. We could never get out to bury them ‘till that day. The Germans helped us to dig the grave. One of their officers held a service over the graves. It was a sight worth seeing and one not easily forgotten; both Germans and British paying respect to the French dead.
Sing along and merry Christmas! Start the video to the right
Silent night, holy night! All is calm, all is bright. Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child. Holy infant so tender and mild, Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace Silent night, holy night! Shepherds quake at the sight. Glories stream from heaven afar Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia, Christ the Savior is born! Christ the Savior is born Silent night, holy night! Son of God love's pure light. Radiant beams from Thy holy face With dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus Lord, at Thy birth Jesus Lord, at Thy birth |
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