A Christmas Truce

25^th Dec 1914 – A Christmas Truce

For Corporal John Graffham (My Great Grand Uncle in Law) serving with the 2^nd Battalion The Queens, Royal West Surrey Regiment Christmas day 100 years ago must have been a very strange experience indeed.

Earlier in the week on the 18^th December his battalion had supported a heavy attack on the German trenches in which the Warwicks, South Staffords and Royal Welch Fusiliers had received heavy casualties. The following day a local armistice occurred to collect the dead, during which time a officer from the South Staffords was killed by a sniper and two officers and seven stretcher bearers who had been enticed into the German Trenches and were taken prisoner. The armistice on the 19^th came to a swift end when the British shelled the German Trenches.

So one can only image the feelings and thoughts of John Graffham as the events of Christmas day 1914 unfolded. He had been involved in some of the heaviest fighting of the war over the last 3 months, with comrades being killed or wounded on a daily basis and yet.

Diary Extract – 25^th December 2^nd battalion the Queens Royal West Surrey

Xmas Day – At 11.0 am an armistice began – It started opposite the left of the Wiltshire Regt – the Regt on our right. Many German officers and men came out of their trenches to midway between the two lines – parties were sent out to collect and bury the dead who had been killed on the 18^th – graves were dug in the centre between the lines. 71 bodies were collected chiefly Warwicks….

…The Germans were nearly all belonging to the 55^th Regt – Several Staff officers also came over – these were quite a different class to the infantry officers, who were of a very low class. All professed themselves as confident as to their being able to end the war in their favour. They had no opinion of the Russians who they considered already beaten. All gave the appearance however of being fed up with the war. Armistice concluded at 4.0 pm with agreement to resume it at 9.0 am following morning as dead were not all buried.

The armistice at Christmas 1914 is one of the best known stories of World War One and even today is featuring in TV adverts. For John Joseph Graffham, my Great grand Uncle in law, 100 years ago today he experienced it with his own eyes.

No mention of Football though! More clearing and burying the dead, perhaps not a merry Christmas as the legends of the 1914 Christmas truce would make out.

Merry Christmas

Tony