British reports mention football was on the front of 15th Infantry Brigade, but no corroborating German evidence from that sector has been found.”

However, while there is likely much fiction in the story it is undeniable that a truce did occur and it is one of the few examples of a “feel good” story to come out of the horrors that was World War I. To ensure that the story is remembered—whether accurately or not—a Christmas truce memorial was unveiled on Nov. 11, 2008, in Frelinghien, France. There was even a football match, where soldiers from the Royal Welch Fusiliers faced off against the German Battalion 371—with the Germans winning 2–1.

For the one-hundredth anniversary of the truce and its football connection Michel Platini, president of the UEFA, the European football’s governing body, announced plans to commemorate the centenary of the Christmas truce with the unveiling of a new memorial near Ploegsteert in Belgium on Dec. 11, 2014.

Sadly the 1914 truce was to be the only significant attempt at quieting the guns by the soldiers at the front lines. In December 1915 Allied commanders tried to discourage any truce through a number of methods. In addition to explicit orders, units were ordered to mount raids while artillery barrages pounded the lines. There are reports of German overtures to the British in 1916 and 1917 but the horrors of the war had taken the toll and it would be until at least 1918 when the bulk of the armies would truly have a silent night for Christmas Eve.

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites. He is the author of several books on military headgear including A Gallery of Military Headdress, which is available on Amazon.com. 

Image: Reuters