Soldiers take part in commemorative football match
A football game in 'No Man's Land'
[Picture: Imperial War Museum]
A History and Honour news article
14 Nov 08
British soldiers travelled to France this week to play a football match against German soldiers on the exact spot where, on Christmas Day 1914, their regimental ancestors came out from their trenches to play football in a rare day of humanity amidst the horrors of the First World War.
Some 30 officers and soldiers from the Chester-based 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh (The Royal Welch Fusiliers) went to Frélinghien, France, where on Tuesday 11 November 2008, Armistice Day, they played football with the German Panzergrenadier Battalion 371. The Germans won 2-1.
The soldiers also witnessed the unveiling of a Christmas Truce Memorial in the town. Before the football match, the soldiers conducted a Service of Remembrance, laid wreaths and observed a two-minute silence in the town.
This week's match was organised by Major (Retired) Miles Stockwell, the grandson of Captain C I Stockwell who was present at the truce meeting in 1914. Freiherr Joachim von Sinner, grandson of the commander of the Saxon Regiment, was also present this week.
1st Battalion The Royal Welsh (The Royal Welch Fusiliers) and the team from the German Army's Panzergrenadier Battalion 371 were invited to take part as it was their regimental ancestors from the 2nd Battalion The Royal Welch Fusiliers and the Saxon Infantry who played football on Christmas Day 1914.
The Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh (1 Royal Welsh), Lieutenant Colonel Nick Lock, commented:
"We are delighted to be taking part in the unveiling of the memorial and commemorative football match to mark the actions of our forebears. The Christmas Truce illustrated the basic humanity of the men from both sides engaged in this terrible conflict."
The Christmas Truce Memorial shows the badges of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, the Saxon Infantry and the Prussian Jäger and was unveiled by the daughter of Private Frank Richards, DCM (Distinguished Conduct Medal), MM (Military Medal), one of the welshmen who witnessed and then wrote an account of the events in his book 'Old Soldiers Never Die'.
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Team captain, Sergeant Steve Roberts, 1 Royal Welsh (with the ball),
during the game against soldiers from 371 Panzergrenadier Battalion
[Picture: Shane Wilkinson]
The people of Frelinghien embraced the project and have given it their wholehearted support. The project has also received the support of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge (the German War Graves Commission).
Following the match, the officers and soldiers visited the battlefields around the town of Ypres, known during World War I by the British as 'Wipers', to learn about the significance and the human cost of war.
Captain Will Greswell from 1 Royal Welsh said of this week's visit:
"Unfortunately the Germans won, but it was a good game and a fantastic day. The football match and unveiling of the plaque to commemorate the Christmas truce was the main point of the trip but the battlefield tour was incredibly poignant.
"The tour was conducted by an ex-Royal Welch Fusilier and we went to the site where virtually the whole battalion, some 1,050 men, were lost."
On Christmas Day 1914, in many places along the western front, British troops met their German opponents in 'No Man's Land' in a day of peace. The 2nd Battalion The Royal Welch Fusiliers, holding the line east of Armentières, met the Saxons of 133 Infantry Regiment and the Prussians of 6 Jäger Battalion. The Jäger brought out two barrels of beer from their positions in the Frelinghien Brewery and were given a plum pudding in exchange by the Royal Welch Fusiliers. The Welsh and German soldiers played an impromptu game of football in 'No Man's Land' and the fighting was resumed, by mutual consent, on the next day.
Captain C I Stockwell was present at the truce and wrote this account of the events:
"I think I and my company have just spent one of the most curious Christmas Days we are ever likely to see. It froze hard on Christmas Eve, and in the morning there was a thick ground fog. I believe I told you the Saxons opposite had been shouting in English. Strict orders had been issued that there was to be no fraternising on Christmas Day. About 1.30 pm, having seen our men get their Christmas dinners, we went into our shelter to get a meal.
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Peter Knight (left) and Stefan Langheinrich, both descendants of soldiers who fought against
each other in WWI, kneel by the memorial to both units who played football in 'No Man's Land'
[Picture: Shane Wilkinson]
"The sergeant on duty suddenly ran in and said the fog had lifted and that half-a-dozen Saxons were standing on their parapet without arms. I ran out into the trench and found that all the men were holding their rifles at the ready on the parapet, and that the Saxons were shouting, 'Don't shoot. We don't want to fight today. We will send you some beer'. A cask was hoisted onto the parapet and three men started to roll it into the middle of No Man's Land. A lot more Saxons then appeared without arms. Things were getting a bit thick. My men were getting a bit excited, and the Saxons kept shouting to them to come out.
"We did not like to fire as they were all unarmed, but we had strict orders and someone might have fired, so I climbed over the parapet and shouted, in my best German, for the opposing captain to appear. Our men were all chattering and saying, 'The captain's going to speak to them'.
"A German officer appeared and walked out into the middle of NoMan's Land, so I moved out to meet him, amidst the cheers of both sides. We met and formally saluted. He introduced himself as Count something-or-other and seemed a very decent fellow. He could not talk a word of English. He then called out to his subalterns and formally introduced them, with much clicking of heels and saluting. They were all very well turned out, while I was in a goatskin coat. One of the subalterns could talk a few words of English, but not enough to carry on a conversation.
The memorial plaque with the regimental coats of arms
of both units who played football during the Christmas Truce
[Picture: Shane Wilkinson]
"I said to the German captain, 'My orders are to keep my men in the trench and allow no armistice. Don't you think it's dangerous, all your men running about in the open like this? Someone may open fire'. He called out an order and all his men went back to their parapet, leaving me and the five German officers and the barrel of beer in the middle of No Man's Land. He then said, 'My orders are the same as yours, but could we not have a truce from shooting today? We don't want to shoot, do you?'. I said, 'No, we certainly don't want to shoot, but I have my orders to obey'. So then we agreed not to shoot until the following morning, when I was to signal that we were going to begin.
"He said, 'You had better take the beer. We have lots'. So I called up two men to take the barrel to our side. As we had lots of plum puddings I sent for one and formally presented it to him in exchange for the beer.
"He then called out, 'Waiter', and a German Private whipped out six glasses and two bottles of beer, and with much bowing and saluting we solemnly drank it amid cheers from both sides. We then all formally saluted and returned to our lines. Our men had sing-songs, ditto the enemy.
"December 26th.
"He played the game. Not a shot all night and never tried to touch his wire or anything. There was a hard frost. At 8.30 I fired three shots in the air and put up a flag with 'Merry Christmas' on it and I climbed on the parapet. He put up a sheet with 'Thank You' on it, and the German captain appeared on the parapet. We both bowed and saluted and got down into our respective trenches, and he fired two shots into the air, and the war was on again."
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