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

Life in the Trenches

9^th December 1914 

For Corporal John Graffham serving with the 2^nd Battalion The Queens, Royal West Surrey Regiment, the reality of life in the trenches was no doubt a vastly different experience than what anyone could have imagined the war would be like. The Battalion had just moved into the trenches West of La Boutillerie, Northern France and 100 years ago today the conditions for my Great Grand Uncle in law were far from ideal.

Battalion War Diary extract from 9^th December.

Trenches. The communication trenches very bad & in some places up to over knees. Three men had to be dug out of the mud last night (one man was rescued in the morning having been stuck in the mud all night. One man was killed by a sniper today whilst cutting branches of a tree). There are casualties reported daily the men prefer to walk in the open & be shot at than to walk along these terrible communication trenches. Strict orders have been issued about men exposing themselves. (A very dark night several messages came down that enemy were attacking our line eventually a report came in that the enemy were in our trenches. A star shell was fired & there was no sign of the enemy).

19 officers. 956 other ranks.

1 Killed 1 wounded 5 to hospital

How quickly the open warfare at the beginning of the War in 1914 had changed to the realities and conditions of trench warfare so associated with the conflict today. One can only imagine what my ancestors thoughts and daily experiences were. The constant daily danger and what he needs to do to survive, thoughts of home, Daisy his wife and his young son, Albert, only a few months old...

For reference - The man killed was Private John Holloran L/8459 he is commemorated on the Ploegsteert memorial (CWGC)

Tony

The attack was timed for 6.15am. There was a heavy mist...

7^th November 1914

Diary extract from the 2^nd Battalion, The Queens– Royal West Surrey Regiment

The attack was timed for 6.15am. There was a heavy mist and it was only just becoming day light… the Queens forming the first two lines. They advanced over the rise in the ground and a heavy machine gun fire was opened by the Germans. The second line came up with the first and together the charge was made. It was completely successful and the enemy got out of their trenches and ran away. The advance continued and the trench D was taken but could not be hold owing to enfilade fire. During the charge Capt. Roberts was hit when he had led his men almost up to the German position. Lt. Lang Browne & Lt Collis were also wounded & taken prisoner. Lt. Haigh was killed and Lt. Pascoe wounded, Sgt. Major Lucas was also killed.

Three machine guns were taken in the German trench… There was considerable rifle fire all day and the enemy also fired many high explosives, percussion & shrapnel, but did no damage…

The losses of the Regiment had been heavy but the enemy were driven from the footing they had secured and time was given for the French reinforcements to come up.

Casualties on 7^th Nov

Killed -14 - Officers 2, Other ranks 12

Wounded – 64 - Officers 5, Other ranks 59

Missing 19

Total Casualties - 97

Although the Battalion remained in the field for the following day, the 7^th November saw their last action in the Firstbattle of Ypres.

Serving with the 2^nd Battalion was Private John Joseph Graffham (my Great Grand Uncle in law). John was born in 1891 in Dorking, Surrey, the son of Peter and Sarah Graffham; he had 3 brothers and 3 sisters. He married Daisy Denman in 1911 in Reigate, Surrey and their first son Albert had been born earlier in 1914.

The 2^nd Battalion had been stationed in South Africa at the outbreak of war, recalled to England in September and finally arriving in Zeebrugge on the 4^th October. They had been in contact with the enemy almost immediately upon arrival, retiring, holding lines, supporting the Belgium and French armies and other units of the BEF. 

John Graffham’s Battalion had been involved in fierce fighting continually from 15^th October onwards, Casualties were high - 18 Killed, 123 wounded and 37 missing on the 21^st. 16 killed on the 24^th. 9 Casualties on the 26^th , 12 on the 27^th, 13 on the 28^th, 92 on the 29^th, 90 on the 30^th, 99 on the 31^st, 24 between the 1^st & 3^rd Nov and a further 30 casualties on the 5^th.

The Queens Royal West Surrey Regiment as a whole recorded 457 fatalities (Commonwealth War Graves Commission) from 4^th Oct to the 8^th November 1914 highlighting the heavy fighting and huge losses of Britain's professional army in 1914.  The 2nd Battalion itself had suffered 676 casualties since landing in Zeebrugge in October.

As the open war of movement stagnated into fixed trench warfare all along the Western front, new replacements appeared in the ranks and John Graffham had undergone a baptism of fire.

Tony