Witness to Christmas Truce football match?

[Skipman]

"ANTIQUES ROADSHOW's resident expert was left blown away by an "astonishing" WW1 letter after it revealed the details of a historical football match that took place around Christmas time."

I have my doubts. A name/regiment might have helped.

The Express

 

https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1540948/Antiques-Roadshow-expert-astonished-rare-WW1-letter

Mike

[ss002d6252]

So, a letter written in 1940 by a Grenadier Guard NCO, Sgt Major Barker, about a WW1 football game. Not the clearest article by any means.

Craig

[ss002d6252]

I assume 1940 is meant to read 1914 ?

Craig

[Skipman]

3 minutes ago, ss002d6252 said:

I assume 1940 is meant to read 1914 ?

Craig

 

I imagine so. Not sure of anything regarding this. will see if can find actual prog.

 

Mike

[Skipman]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p011ffck

[ss002d6252]

In which case, the most obvious person I could see is #9718 Sgt Clement Barker.
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_fn=&_ln=barker&_no=&_crp=grenadier+guards&_ttl=*serjeant*&discoveryCustomSearch=true&_cr1=WO+372&_dt=M&_col=200&_hb=tna

Craig

[ss002d6252]

7 minutes ago, Skipman said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p011ffck

Thanks.

Craig

[Skipman]

Long Long Trail "1^st Grenadier Guards: Moved forward on 18 December and held the line on the right of Scots Guards. They were relieved by the latter on 23 December and moved to billets on Rue de Quesnes. Major-General Capper and the Prince of Wales visited the battalion on Christmas Eve. The diary for Christmas only mentions the arrival of a draft."

 

Mike

[ss002d6252]

5 minutes ago, Skipman said:

Long Long Trail "1^st Grenadier Guards: Moved forward on 18 December and held the line on the right of Scots Guards. They were relieved by the latter on 23 December and moved to billets on Rue de Quesnes. Major-General Capper and the Prince of Wales visited the battalion on Christmas Eve. The diary for Christmas only mentions the arrival of a draft."

 

Mike

So it looks like the 1st were in billets that day, away from the front (but perhaps had a burial party out ?).

Craig

[Skipman]

Hmmm episode from 19 November 2012

 

Mike

[Skipman]

Looks like old news getting a re-run  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2252454/A-football-kicked-trenches-played-Germans-Previously-unseen-letter-Clement-Barker-recounting-World-War-One-Christmas-Day-truce-1914-revealed.html

 

Mike

And covered before on Forum

 

 

Mike

[ss002d6252]

3 minutes ago, Skipman said:

Looks like old news getting a re-run  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2252454/A-football-kicked-trenches-played-Germans-Previously-unseen-letter-Clement-Barker-recounting-World-War-One-Christmas-Day-truce-1914-revealed.html

 

Mike

And covered before on Forum

 

 

Mike

Repeats at Xmas - don't believe it Mike

Craig

[Skipman]

Just now, ss002d6252 said:

Repeats at Xmas - don't believe it Mike

Craig

 

Mike

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

If only they had VAR....

[Steven Broomfield]

On 25/12/2021 at 11:44, Skipman said:

"ANTIQUES ROADSHOW's resident expert was left blown away by an "astonishing" WW1 letter after it revealed the details of a historical football match that took place around Christmas time."

I have my doubts. A name/regiment might have helped.

The Express

 

https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1540948/Antiques-Roadshow-expert-astonished-rare-WW1-letter

Mike

With the Excess website being even slower and more unusable than the Fail's, I was unable to access the article, but if the 'expert' was that twerp who sobs his way through half the slots he has on AR, I would be shovelling salt down with that story faster than a political prisoner in Siberia, frankly.

On 25/12/2021 at 12:56, Dai Bach y Sowldiwr said:

If only they had VAR....

Keep up. It's 'The Var' now, daddy-oh. Or possibly you could use the indefinite article in this case, so let's go with 'a Var'.

Edited 26 December , 2021 by Steven Broomfield