Fredrick would have been in France when the Christmas Truce took place - This letter from an
unidentified Lieutenant, first published in the ‘Daily Mail’ and then widely reproduced in the local
press as early as 26th December, would have been the first intimation to those at home that any
such event had actually occurred:
“An extraordinary thing happened between us and the Germans yesterday. We are so close in our
trenches that we can talk to the Germans, and yesterday we got quite friendly. After a lot of talking
and shouting to each other, we arranged that one of our men should go out half way and meet a
German and that there was to be no shooting meanwhile. Both men got up at the same time and
went out, everyone in the opposing trenches looking out over the tops of them. The men met and
shook hands amid cheers from both trenches. Our man gave the German some cigarettes and
received in return some chocolate. Then I went out and met a German and did the same, and so did
a few others. I went right up and stood on the parapet of their trench and talked to them. Several
spoke English quite well. They said they were very sick of it, and added, ‘Hurry up and finish this
cursed war’. They told us they were in a bad state as regards water in the trenches but were fed
fairly well and got letters about every five days. We had quite a long talk, and then one of their
superior officers came long, so they said, ‘Get back’. So back we got, and then they fired very high
over our heads just to warn us that they were going on as before, evidently to satisfy their superior
officers. They were very sporting, and played the game perfectly. We asked them whey the sniped
such a lot, and said ‘Why don’t you chuck it? It’s a terrible nuisance’. Funnily enough, they never
fired a shot while we were relieving last night.”
The letter would have been read with considerable interest, if not amazement or bafflement, by
those who were not in the trenches.
Following the outbreak of the WW1 in August 1914, the British Expeditionary Force, was sent to
the Western Front and was soon joined by troops from the Empire, those from India arriving before
the end of the year. In October 1914, King George V’s daughter 17-year-old daughter, Mary,
Princess Royal, launched an appeal to fund every member of the armed forces receiving a
Christmas gift. Shortly before Christmas 1914, advertisements were placed in the British press
seeking donations for the "Soldiers and Sailors Christmas fund" and £152,691 was soon raised. The
funding was used to manufacture small boxes made of silver for officers and brass for all others.
Each was decorated with an image of Mary and other military and imperial symbols and typically
filled with an ounce of tobacco, a packet of cigarettes in a yellow monogrammed wrapper, a
cigarette lighter, and a Christmas card and photograph from Princess Mary. Some contained sweets,
chocolates, and lemon drops. The boxes were originally intended for "every sailor afloat and every
soldier at the front" on Christmas day 1914, but eligibility was soon extended to everyone "wearing
the King's uniform on Christmas day” Whilst around 400,000 were delivered by Christmas,
distribution was not completed until 1920 by which time approximately 2.5 million had been
delivered.