The War To End All Wars

I can only imagine what it must have been like to be involved in a war at Christmas time. Such a contradiction between Christian values and war. The following excerpt is from my grandfather's journal from Dec. 21, 1914 and Dec. 25, 1914.

December 21^st – 23^rd

The battery remained at the rest billet until the morning of the 23^rd when we marched to Bethune and billeted in a school house.

George and I didn’t have blankets so we resolved to find a bed somewhere. We walked around Bethune until we found a Frenchman. Using our best French, George and I tried to talk him into giving us some blankets.

Our French must have been a dialect he didn’t recognize, for his interpretation of our request resulted in his head moving back-in-forth from shoulder to shoulder, a universal language of “NO.” Lucky for us his daughter came along and she invited us to stay at their house, which was only a little ways down the street. When we entered the house we immediately realized that the family was very poor, but they treated us handsomely. The mother was an elderly woman that doted on us. She gave us as much as we could possible eat and drink. Afterwards she made up a bed on the floor, near the fireplace.

Knowing that we had to report back to camp in the morning, she woke us at 3:15am so that we would have time to drink some hot coffee before we left. We wanted to pay her for her hospitality but she became indignant and refused.

When we arrived back at camp at 4:20 am, the battery was getting ready to march towards La Bassee where we were to take up a position.

December 24^th

We took a position at Cambrai with the towns of Cuinchy and Givenchy on our left.

Each town was in a state of ruin from the heavy scrapping that had recently taken place.

George and I took over the wires of the 47^th Battery so we were very busy firing up our communications.

We had a grand observing station that was in the ruins of a brewery. It was beautifully furnished at one time, but now everything was destroyed, including the lovely carved furniture, ornaments, a piano, and a large gramophone. Everything had been left where it stood. I went into the kitchen and secured a few plates, cups and an assortment of cooking utensils that I took back to the guns.  

Late that night I was ordered to get into communication with the 2^nd Infantry Brigade, which required me to lay down additional wire, an uncomfortable task. Rifle bullets kicked up dirt as they fell around me. However, I did the job without mishap and got back to my dugout.

It was Christmas Eve and my thoughts were far away, recalling Christmas Eves of the past. Sadness and loneliness overcame me and I went to bed with a heavy heart.

December 25^th

I forgot it was Christmas Day even though I remembered last night being Christmas Eve. Perhaps I intentionally forgot it was Christmas Day, not wanting to revisit the sadness from the night before.

Whatever reason, I kept busy firing up communications the entire day. I was so busy that I didn’t notice how quiet it was. Then some of the chaps got together to fix a Christmas dinner.

It suddenly came to me why it was so quiet; a mutual truce was declared in order to celebrate Christmas. One of our chaps secured a chicken and some vegetables to make a Christmas feast.

George came down from the observing station and together, along with a couple of other chaps, we went to a large house nearby. We collared a piano and brought it back to the guns. One of the chaps played Christmas Carols. It wasn’t a great success but we made the best of it, for we knew there were many poor devils that were worse off than us.