marshallhaig Posted 20 March , 2022 Share Posted 20 March , 2022 Hi everyone, I'm a high school student looking to research a paper about the 1914 christmas truce. I've read a few first world war books but they all seem to skim over the topic, and I can only find one or two books specifically about the topic. Does anyone know other useful resources about the topic, and where to find them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRC Posted 20 March , 2022 Share Posted 20 March , 2022 Hi @marshallhaig and welcome to the forum. I would suggest starting with our parent site, The Long, Long Trail, which has this article https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/battles/battles-of-the-western-front-in-france-and-flanders/winter-operations-1914-15-western-front/legends-myths-and-realities-the-christmas-truce-1914/ Also worth using the forum search facility at the top of the page. Are you interested in the experiences of any one unit or just what did and didn't happen along the British Army sector of the front line on the 25th December 1914? Cheers, Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajsmith Posted 20 March , 2022 Share Posted 20 March , 2022 Welcome to the forum. The British Newspaper Archive is a useful resource for contemporary accounts and attitudes, original source material is always appreciated by those who mark these things. A small example of what can be found is attached Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fattyowls Posted 20 March , 2022 Share Posted 20 March , 2022 I would recommend Terri Blom Crocker's 'The Christmas Truce' which is particularly good on the emergence of the myths of 25th December 1914. Chris Baker's 'Truce' is a really detailed analysis which puts the day into the context of the operations leading up to it. Chris wrote the Long Long Trail stuff that Peter recommends, I would add my recommendation to that and the book too. If you search on 'Christmas Truce' you will find a lot of forum topics with some serious analysis too. If you look for posts by @bierast there is some excellent stuff about the German perspective with particular emphasis on the Saxon units. Feel free to post any questions here. Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marshallhaig Posted 20 March , 2022 Author Share Posted 20 March , 2022 44 minutes ago, PRC said: Hi @marshallhaig and welcome to the forum. I would suggest starting with our parent site, The Long, Long Trail, which has this article https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/battles/battles-of-the-western-front-in-france-and-flanders/winter-operations-1914-15-western-front/legends-myths-and-realities-the-christmas-truce-1914/ Also worth using the forum search facility at the top of the page. Are you interested in the experiences of any one unit or just what did and didn't happen along the British Army sector of the front line on the 25th December 1914? Cheers, Peter Dear Peter, Thanks so much for replying. I will definitely check out that link. I'm interested in both specific action by specific units and a more general overview of what did and did not happen. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marshallhaig Posted 20 March , 2022 Author Share Posted 20 March , 2022 8 minutes ago, Fattyowls said: I would recommend Terri Blom Crocker's 'The Christmas Truce' which is particularly good on the emergence of the myths of 25th December 1914. Chris Baker's 'Truce' is a really detailed analysis which puts the day into the context of the operations leading up to it. Chris wrote the Long Long Trail stuff that Peter recommends, I would add my recommendation to that and the book too. If you search on 'Christmas Truce' you will find a lot of forum topics with some serious analysis too. If you look for posts by @bierast there is some excellent stuff about the German perspective with particular emphasis on the Saxon units. Feel free to post any questions here. Pete. Thank you Pete, that was really helpful. I've never heard of the Chris Baker book, I'm sure that will help me a lot. Getting a German perspective will also be very interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fattyowls Posted 20 March , 2022 Share Posted 20 March , 2022 No problem and I should have said a warm welcome to the forum. There is a lot of expertise on here that can contribute to your quest. Just ask the questions as they occur to you. Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marshallhaig Posted 20 March , 2022 Author Share Posted 20 March , 2022 50 minutes ago, ajsmith said: Welcome to the forum. The British Newspaper Archive is a useful resource for contemporary accounts and attitudes, original source material is always appreciated by those who mark these things. A small example of what can be found is attached Thank you! Just to clarify, is their website at https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/ ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajsmith Posted 20 March , 2022 Share Posted 20 March , 2022 3 minutes ago, marshallhaig said: Thank you! Just to clarify, is their website at https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/ ? It is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRC Posted 20 March , 2022 Share Posted 20 March , 2022 14 minutes ago, marshallhaig said: I'm interested in both specific action by specific units By all means let us let us know which units you are interested in - the Long Long Trail article gives chapter and verse on which ones were and weren't in the front line. As you will see from that, the 1st Battalion, Norfolk Regiment, were one of the chief instigators of the fraternization on their Brigade front, and I have a number of newspaper articles reporting letters received home from men of that Battalion and reporting on events of the day. As far as I'm aware none of these are currently on line. I've not transcribed most of them as yet as the sort of events and sentiments are repeated in the experiences of many of those reported in the sources you have been pointed at. There will be forum members who take a keen interest in most of the regiments of the British Army who took part in the truce, and similarly with the Germans, and like me may well have items of relevance that aren't to be found online. Given that this is a high school paper and you are presumably working to a deadline, you may struggle to find the books listed via the library, and unless you have a wider interest and want to purchase them, the cost may be a bit off-putting and the content too detailed. As you can see people have written whole books about the 1914 Christmas Truce! A more general source that might be more pitched at the level you need is Lynn MacDonald's "1914", drawing as it does on the contemporary diaries and letters of those who were there. I've not read it myself, but given the hold the truce has on the popular imagination, I suspect it is well covered - and also much more likely to be in the history section of the average library. You have also been pointed at the British Newspaper Library, which you can either subscribe to direct or as part of the appropriate subscription level of FindMyPast. FindMyPast does offer limited period free trials, but you do have to remember to cancel as bank details are taken as part of signing up. It may help to know that if you live in the UK most public library services sign up to the British Newspaper Archive and usually one of either Ancestry or FindMyPast - and sometimes both. You do have to create you own account with those websites, but as long as you access via a Library terminal, access is free. Could be worth checking out the website of your local Library Service to see what's available. Hope that helps, Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianmorris547 Posted 20 March , 2022 Share Posted 20 March , 2022 For an example from War Diaries see 8 Division HQ General Staff (WO 1671) and 24 Infantry Brigade of that Division. The WD of 2 Bn Northamptonshire Regt (WO 95 1722) of 24 IB has a good account of meetings between German and British troops on Christmas Day. See the translation of a letter handed in by two German Officers at app 4. It accused the English of using dum dum bullets. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fellop Posted 20 March , 2022 Share Posted 20 March , 2022 Welcome to the Forum. Unsure what other books [other those those excellent recommendations] you have found or read but may I perhaps add another to a potential reading list. Christmas Truce The Western Front December 1914 by Malcolm Brown and Shirley Seaton. Original print in 1984, revised and updated in 1994 and re-print in 2001. I see it is still available in Kindle, Hardback or Paperback on a well known online shopping site. Good luck with the research Regards Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWK Posted 20 March , 2022 Share Posted 20 March , 2022 The Dutch newspaper "Maasbode" (from Rotterdam) on Monday 4th January 1915 ran the following article (Can't vouch for its accuracy, but they must have gotten that "letter" from somewhere? Or they may have all invented it......) A CHRISTMAS-“TRUCE” While the Pope’s attempt to establish an armistice during Christmas, instead of a “12 year truce”, had failed, some parts of the war front made mutual agreements on this. One [German] Landwehrmann at the Western front wrote to his parents: “Christmas, during which time there should be “Peace on earth”, was spent by us, friend and foe, amicably. We shook each other’s hand, and wished each other a Merry Christmas. We even photographed each other. We gifted our enemies cigars and cigarettes, and they gifted us cognac and marmalade. We had agreed not to shoot during Christmas, and during that whole time we did not feel like enemies. They came to visit us in our trenches, and we went over to theirs. In contrast: to our right there was shooting and even storm attacks have taken place, as you’ve read in the newspapers.” https://www.delpher.nl/nl/kranten/view?query=kerstbestand&coll=ddd&sortfield=datedesc&page=1&facets[periode][]=1|20e_eeuw|1910-1919|&identifier=MMKB04:000185339:mpeg21:a0001&resultsidentifier=MMKB04:000185339:mpeg21:a0001&rowid=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marshallhaig Posted 21 March , 2022 Author Share Posted 21 March , 2022 (edited) 8 hours ago, PRC said: By all means let us let us know which units you are interested in - the Long Long Trail article gives chapter and verse on which ones were and weren't in the front line. As you will see from that, the 1st Battalion, Norfolk Regiment, were one of the chief instigators of the fraternization on their Brigade front, and I have a number of newspaper articles reporting letters received home from men of that Battalion and reporting on events of the day. As far as I'm aware none of these are currently on line. I've not transcribed most of them as yet as the sort of events and sentiments are repeated in the experiences of many of those reported in the sources you have been pointed at. There will be forum members who take a keen interest in most of the regiments of the British Army who took part in the truce, and similarly with the Germans, and like me may well have items of relevance that aren't to be found online. Given that this is a high school paper and you are presumably working to a deadline, you may struggle to find the books listed via the library, and unless you have a wider interest and want to purchase them, the cost may be a bit off-putting and the content too detailed. As you can see people have written whole books about the 1914 Christmas Truce! A more general source that might be more pitched at the level you need is Lynn MacDonald's "1914", drawing as it does on the contemporary diaries and letters of those who were there. I've not read it myself, but given the hold the truce has on the popular imagination, I suspect it is well covered - and also much more likely to be in the history section of the average library. You have also been pointed at the British Newspaper Library, which you can either subscribe to direct or as part of the appropriate subscription level of FindMyPast. FindMyPast does offer limited period free trials, but you do have to remember to cancel as bank details are taken as part of signing up. It may help to know that if you live in the UK most public library services sign up to the British Newspaper Archive and usually one of either Ancestry or FindMyPast - and sometimes both. You do have to create you own account with those websites, but as long as you access via a Library terminal, access is free. Could be worth checking out the website of your local Library Service to see what's available. Hope that helps, Peter Thanks Peter, that certainly helps. I'm actually writing a paper on this as an independent study which I hope can get published in a high school history journal, and I have a kindle so most of these books are fairly accessible. I think I will start down the rabbit hole with the Long long trail article and the rest of Chris Baker's book. Your help is much appreciated. Edited 21 March , 2022 by marshallhaig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marshallhaig Posted 21 March , 2022 Author Share Posted 21 March , 2022 6 hours ago, fellop said: Welcome to the Forum. Unsure what other books [other those those excellent recommendations] you have found or read but may I perhaps add another to a potential reading list. Christmas Truce The Western Front December 1914 by Malcolm Brown and Shirley Seaton. Original print in 1984, revised and updated in 1994 and re-print in 2001. I see it is still available in Kindle, Hardback or Paperback on a well known online shopping site. Good luck with the research Regards Peter I have also found these books Christmas Truce by the Men Who Took Part (Hill) Not A Shot Was Fired: Letters from the Christmas Truce 1914 (Cleaver) Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce (Weintraub) The True Story of the Christmas Truce: British and German Eyewitness Accounts from World War I (Richards) Some of them seem to be collections of first-hand accounts like the ones I have been provided, which could be useful. I can't seem to find a kindle version of the book you recommended on Amazon. Do you happen to have a link to where you found it? Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Forge Posted 21 March , 2022 Share Posted 21 March , 2022 (edited) Welcome to the forum, @marshallhaig. Another good WD is 2nd Battalion, The Scots Guards. It's downloadable for free from the National Archives, and it's also quoted in chunks on the '1914 in their own words' website. If you've seen the play/film 'Oh What a Lovely War', the words used during the Christmas Truce scenes are straight from the Scots Guards account. Henry Williamson, the writer, experienced the Christmas Truce with the London Scottish in front of Ploegsteert Wood. The link will take you to an article by Williamson on the Henry Williamson Society website. The Truce is also a key part of Williamson's novel 'A Fox Under my Cloak' (part of the 'Chronicle of Ancient Sunlight' series). All the best, OF Edited 22 March , 2022 by Old Forge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRC Posted 21 March , 2022 Share Posted 21 March , 2022 All of the War Diaries for British Army units involved can currently be downloaded for free from the UK National Archive, should you want to reference original documents. You do need to sign in with your account, but if you don't have one even that can be set up as part of placing your first order. Just go to any webpage on their site, click "sign in", and follow the instructions. No financial details are required. For me the easiest way to find War Diaries is by using the dedicated search facility here https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/british-army-war-diaries-1914-1922/ When searching there it really is a case of "less is more" - for example "1 Norfolk" produces the necessary matches for the 1st Battalion of the Norfolk Regiment. Cheers, Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fellop Posted 21 March , 2022 Share Posted 21 March , 2022 9 hours ago, marshallhaig said: I have also found these books Christmas Truce by the Men Who Took Part (Hill) Not A Shot Was Fired: Letters from the Christmas Truce 1914 (Cleaver) Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce (Weintraub) The True Story of the Christmas Truce: British and German Eyewitness Accounts from World War I (Richards) Some of them seem to be collections of first-hand accounts like the ones I have been provided, which could be useful. I can't seem to find a kindle version of the book you recommended on Amazon. Do you happen to have a link to where you found it? Thank you! Here is a link I have found on Amazon showing, as I mentioned Kindle, Hardback and Paperback versions of the book by Brown and Seaton. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-Truce-Western-Front-December-ebook/dp/B006DY7W8A/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1BCPD6JAAL1RI&keywords=christmas+truce&qid=1647857825&sprefix=christmas+truce%2Caps%2C208&sr=8-5 Regards Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 21 March , 2022 Share Posted 21 March , 2022 (edited) There is also a good first hand account from the perspective of 2nd Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers in both, Frank Richards’s ‘Old Soldiers Never Die’, and ‘The War the Infantry Knew’ by Captain J C Dunn. Both books are readily available. Edited 21 March , 2022 by FROGSMILE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anneca Posted 21 March , 2022 Share Posted 21 March , 2022 On 20/03/2022 at 18:17, fellop said: Welcome to the Forum. Unsure what other books [other those those excellent recommendations] you have found or read but may I perhaps add another to a potential reading list. Christmas Truce The Western Front December 1914 by Malcolm Brown and Shirley Seaton. Original print in 1984, revised and updated in 1994 and re-print in 2001. I see it is still available in Kindle, Hardback or Paperback on a well known online shopping site. Good luck with the research Regards Peter I have Brown and Seaton's book. Got it some years ago and refuse to give it another home. Great book. Anne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fellop Posted 21 March , 2022 Share Posted 21 March , 2022 22 minutes ago, Anneca said: I have Brown and Seaton's book. Got it some years ago and refuse to give it another home. Great book. Anne I agree. I lent my copy [updated and revised] 1994 version to someone and did not get it returned. Luckily I found the 2001 print in a second hand bookshop for £1.50. It will not be lent out again. Regards Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anneca Posted 21 March , 2022 Share Posted 21 March , 2022 3 hours ago, fellop said: I agree. I lent my copy [updated and revised] 1994 version to someone and did not get it returned. Luckily I found the 2001 print in a second hand bookshop for £1.50. It will not be lent out again. Regards Peter Peter, my Christmas Truce is a 2001 paperback £7.99, yours was a good deal! I have to say I lent a couple of books some years ago, both signed by the author, and like yourself they were never returned. From then no one has asked to borrow any of my books because they will know what my answer will be. A salutory lesson indeed. Anne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianjonesncl Posted 22 March , 2022 Share Posted 22 March , 2022 Just posted on Roads to the Great War Roads to the Great War: The True Story of the Christmas Truce: British and German Eyewitness Accounts from the First World War (roadstothegreatwar-ww1.blogspot.com) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steviebullsatatter Posted 22 March , 2022 Share Posted 22 March , 2022 On 20/03/2022 at 14:53, marshallhaig said: Hi everyone, I'm a high school student looking to research a paper about the 1914 christmas truce. I've read a few first world war books but they all seem to skim over the topic, and I can only find one or two books specifically about the topic. Does anyone know other useful resources about the topic, and where to find them? Hi Haigster Not read the other posts as just stumbled on yours but you could try you tube and type in 'ww1 great war interviews Christmas truce' You'll find some interesting stuff on there. Regards Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Dudley Posted 26 March , 2022 Share Posted 26 March , 2022 On 21/03/2022 at 00:50, marshallhaig said: I have also found these books Christmas Truce by the Men Who Took Part (Hill) Not A Shot Was Fired: Letters from the Christmas Truce 1914 (Cleaver) Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce (Weintraub) The True Story of the Christmas Truce: British and German Eyewitness Accounts from World War I (Richards) Some of them seem to be collections of first-hand accounts like the ones I have been provided, which could be useful. I can't seem to find a kindle version of the book you recommended on Amazon. Do you happen to have a link to where you found it? Thank you! The first of the books mentioned here is my own work and I’d be more than happy to help if you have any specific questions, feel free to DM if that’s easier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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