A chocolate cake. That’s what started it. Or rather, the note that came along with it. Its exact words are not known. But its effect was profound: it inspired one of the most touching examples of humanity in modern warfare.
It was Christmas Eve, 1914. The Great War had been raging for nearly five months. In a long, long line—stretching from the Swiss border to the North Sea—German and Allied soldiers were staked out. In muddy, hastily-built trenches. Millions of British and German lads, hundreds of miles from home, were looking at spending Christmas in one of the least-inviting places on earth—the Western Front.
But the dreary monotony of warfare was suddenly broken on December 24. The Germans sent a chocolate cake to the British line, with a note attached. The Germans wished to hold a concert, and they preferred not the have the voices of the British guns joining in. Would it be too much to ask for a temporary ceasefire, while the Germans held their recital?
The British readily agreed to the idea. They sent their own present in reply and within hours, the guns had fallen silent across the entire 27-mile British line. But that was not all. Shouts of greeting soon began ringing down the trench-line. Hands in the air, soldiers from both sides started emerging from the safety of their trenches to mingle in No Man’s Land. There, amidst the barbed wire and the shell-torn landscape, they sang carols, decorated Christmas trees, and swapped gifts. In some cases, they even had spontaneous games of football.
The festivities lasted for the length of Christmas Day in some places. But in other cases, it was January before the disgruntled army commanders succeeded in bringing their men back into line.
To this day, no-one knows why this happened. One thing is certain—it was a singular event, never to be repeated. It’s been called the “Christmas Miracle” of 1914. For during this time—even if it was only one day—the average soldier saw the man in the trench opposite him as a human being. No longer merely the enemy, but a human being. This is, perhaps, the greatest miracle of all.
The short film below is Sainsbury’s Christmas advert. Made in partnership with The Royal British Legion. Inspired by real events from 100 years ago.
– Katharina Rast
