Peace and Environment News* December 1992-January 1993
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Peace and Environment News * December 1992-January 1993 |
by Joe A. Holmes
One of the strangest, most peaceful events in the history of modern warfare began on Christmas Eve, 1914, in the trenches of World War One. It was a small flicker of hope amid the slaughter of the "Great War," the war to end all wars.
In the spring of 1914, Europe was a powderkeg of powerful countries, each with its own strong national pride and various military alliances. To add to the confusion, the British Royal Family was related to both the Kaiser of Germany and the Tsar of Russia.
In June of 1914, Archduke Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia by Serbs, setting off a chain of events that plunged Europe into the throes of World War One. Germany sent waves of cavalry sweeping across Belgium. France and Great Britain countered the offensive with their own cavalry attacks. As time went on, the situation settled into trench warfare. Hundreds of thousands of men were dug in and facing each other across a barbed wire no-man's-land. Artillery and machine-gun fire raged constantly. As winter approached, the casualty rate on both sides rose to a shocking 90 percent.
But on Christmas Day, 1914, a strange phenomenon occurred. The booming guns suddenly fell silent. Some Germans along the front sang "Silent Night, Holy Night," which was answered by French troops with "The First Noel." The exchange of carols went on all along the frontier.
Herbert Smith, a gunner with the Royal Field Artillery, reported that in one place, a German started shouting "Come over, I want to speak to you." One British soldier got out of his trench and walked towards the German lines. A German met him half way in the no-man's-land. They shook hands and became quite friendly. This led to other British soldiers crossing over to the German side. Some even went right into the German trenches, where they shook hands and wished each other a Merry Christmas. They sang carols together, took pictures, exchanged gifts such as cigars and tobacco, drank French wine and talked of home. According to 2nd Lieutenant Cyril Drummond, also of the Royal Field Artillery, a German said "We don't want to kill you, and you don't want to kill us."
The "Great Peace," as it was called, seemed to go on for days. One participant reported that "It was like an interval between rounds in a boxing match." The British generals were not as happy with the situation. They eventually issued an order that "All fraternization with the enemy must cease." Some participants were even court-martialled. By New Year's Day, 1915, hostilities started up again.
Never again in that grisly war of barbed wire and poison gas would there be such wide spread goodwill between enemies as had occurred during Christmas 1914. Had the goodwill been allowed to continue, the war might have been over that Christmas. But for that one moment at least, one could truly say there was "peace on earth and goodwill toward all men."
Joe Holmes is a member of the Capital Toastmasters Public Speaking Club. He originally presented this material in a speech before the Capital Club on January 21st, 1992. For more information on Toastmasters, call 235-9231.
Converted April 10, 2001 - Lg
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