Christmas 1914 The Truce

Fred Longstaff and Douglas Clark were mighty forwards for Huddersfield. Both toured Australia and New Zealand with the Great Britain tourists of 1914.

Fred and Douglas played in Huddersfield’s ‘Team of all Talents’, one of the greatest club teams of all time. This team won all four trophies in

Here are medals awarded to Fred and Douglas for trophies that Huddersfield won in

Fred Longstaff volunteered to fight with the Bradford Pals in World War I. In July 1916, 14 months after Huddersfield’s Team of all Talents won its fourth trophy, Fred was killed at the Battle of the Somme.

Douglas Clark was one of the greatest rugby league players of any era. After leaving school he helped his father, a coal merchant. At 14 years of age he could carry a hundredweight bag of coal under each arm. His elders were in awe at his enormous strength.

Douglas was another of thousands of young British men who fought for his country in World War One.

In 1917 he drove supplies to the front line trenches at the Battle of Passchendaele. He was wounded in eighteen places by shrapnel from a bomb and badly gassed. He was discharged from the army in a wheelchair.

Douglas was given a 95% Disability Certificate because of the fragments of shrapnel in his body. He was awarded the Military Medal for his bravery. Doctors advised him not to play rugby again if he wished to reach an old age. Within a season he had won a place in the 1920 Great Britain touring side to Australia!

Douglas’ and Fred’s stories remind us of the dangers and hardships faced by the men who fought for our freedom, and of their courage. This is the story of one incredible episode when… …peace broke out in the trenches!

Michael Morpurgo wrote about this amazing event in ‘The Best Christmas Present in the World’.

Christmas in 1914 The First World War started in August At first it was fought in very mobile, fast- moving battles. But by December 1914 both sides had dug in and trench warfare began.

Christmas in 1914 Newspapers at home told the stories of the sadness of families parted at Christmas time.

Christmas in 1914 The war raged on with heavy casualties on both sides. As Christmas Eve approached the soldiers’ thoughts were about how they missed their families and home comforts.

Christmas in 1914 Then a most amazing thing happened. Some German troops climbed out of their trenches and walked across No-man’s Land. The soldiers wanted to stop fighting.

Christmas in 1914 The soldiers sang carols. They shared food and cigarettes. They showed each other photos of family and loved ones. Peace broke out!

Christmas in 1914 Later on, newspapers at home told the amazing story of the Christmas truce.

Alfred Anderson who died aged 109 fought in the trenches in World War One. He remembered the Christmas truce.

“All I’d heard for two months in the trenches, was the hissing, cracking and whining of bullets in flight, machine gun fire and distant German voices. But there was a dead silence that morning, right across the land as far as you could see. We shouted ‘Merry Christmas’ even though we didn’t feel very merry. It was a short peace in a terrible war.”

This song by Mike Harding tells the story of what happened in France on Christmas Day 1914.

Christmas Eve in 1914, Stars were burning, Burning bright And all along the Western Front Guns were lying still and quiet.

Men lay dozing in the trenches, In the cold and in the dark And far away, behind the lines, A village dog began to bark.

Some lay thinking of their families, Some sang songs while others were quiet, Rolling fags and playing brag, To pass away that Christmas night.

As they watched the German trenches, Something moved in no man’s land. And through the dark there came a soldier Carrying a white flag in his hand.

Then from both sides Men came running, Crossing into no- man’s land Through the barbed wire, mud and shell holes, Shyly stood there shaking hands.

Fritz brought out cigars and brandy, Tommy brought corned beef and fags And stood there talking, shyly laughing As the moon shone down on no-man’s land.

Christmas Day we all played football In the mud of no-man’s land. Tommy brought some Christmas pudding, Fritz brought out a German band.

When they beat us at the football We shared all out all the grub and drink, And Fritz showed me a faded photo Of a brown haired girl back in Berlin.

For four days after No one fired, Not one shell disturbed the night For old Fritz and Tommy Atkins, They’d both lost their will to fight.

So they withdrew us from the trenches, Sent us far behind the lines Sent fresh lads to take our places And told the guns, “Prepare to fire!”

And next night in 1914, Flares were burning, burning bright, The order came, “Prepare offensive!” Over the top you’re going tonight.

And men stood waiting in the trenches, Looked out across our football park, And all along the Western Front, The Christmas guns began to bark.

Men stood waiting in the trenches, Looked out across our football park And all along the Western Front, The Christmas guns began to bark.

In the words of Alfred Anderson “It was a short peace in a terrible war.”