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Britons started WW1 Christmas football match


Still Waters

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The famous First World War football match of the Christmas Day truce started after a ball was kicked from the British lines into No Man's Land.

The disclosure emerged in a previously-unseen letter describing the famous match.

Staff sergeant Clement Barker sent the letter home four days after Christmas 1914 when the British and German troops emerged from their trenches in peace.

http://www.telegraph...rom-trench.html

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I wonder if that football survived to be one of those given to the men of the East Surreys eighteen months later by thier over-confident officers, to kick across no-man's land before the Battle of the Somme?

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Theres other examples of opposing Christian Armies not fighting on Christmas and sharing among one another.

Edited by AsteroidX
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I've always liked this story. I wonder if the same type of thing would happen today.

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I love this story! It's one of my favorite Christmas stories! :D

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I've always liked this story. I wonder if the same type of thing would happen today.

Absolutely no chance whatsoever, I'm sorry to say!

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Unfortunately, I think you are right ealdwita. Different times.

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Even at that time, it was a minor, 'one-off' incident which has been blown out of all proportion by journalists, and has entered (in greatly embellished form) military folklore. There were subsequent 'temporary cease-fires' - for the collection of casualties and sometimes the evacuation of non-belligerents, (as there was in WWII), but never again (or strictly speaking - before) has that level of fraternization taken place! A couple of months later, in April 1917, the Battles of Arras and Vimy Ridge, served to remove any remnant of goodwill toward the enemy!

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Even at that time, it was a minor, 'one-off' incident which has been blown out of all proportion by journalists, and has entered (in greatly embellished form) military folklore. There were subsequent 'temporary cease-fires' - for the collection of casualties and sometimes the evacuation of non-belligerents, (as there was in WWII), but never again (or strictly speaking - before) has that level of fraternization taken place! A couple of months later, in April 1917, the Battles of Arras and Vimy Ridge, served to remove any remnant of goodwill toward the enemy!

All incidents of "sharing" among opposing armies are isolated incidents.

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All incidents of "sharing" among opposing armies are isolated incidents.

With serious consequences.

I can’t find decent link to prove my point, but people were court-martialed for unauthorised truces in WWI, as far as I know.

Today the social engineering techniques are even better, so noticing the enemy is human is mostly irrelevant. Not unnoticed, but irrelevant. Which is great news for corporations that order wars and extremely bad news for every common sucker involved.

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I've always liked this story. I wonder if the same type of thing would happen today.

Nope, because we only fight Muslim "armies" now...

Edited by ExpandMyMind
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Nope, because we only fight Muslim "armies" now...

Howdareyougowashyourkeyboardwithsoap... no one fights them, only brings them democracy.

Forward march into democracy :lol:

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Hi Helen of Annoy,

I see you come from Croatia, so what i say below about starting and stopping war should be in a Harry Potter Book, i could add intentional astrology to dates if required.

Black Hand Secret Society triggered W.W.1. assassins in that region love using Vidovdan, link below:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidovdan

Obviousy Treaty of Versailles was signed on same date in 1919, how neat that we can start wars and finish them on same date, shame about blood everywhere, link below:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Versailles

There is evidence that Germany was trying to surrender days or even a month before the Armistice, but a Harry Potter type wanted his numerology in place, 11 is a master number, ever thought how weird it is that Armistice happened on 11th hour of 11th day of 11th month?????

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armistice_Day

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armistice_with_Germany

Many thousands of soldiers died waiting for the Armistice, i don't find it funny that this date may be all about numerology!

But we don't need to end it there, the Patron Saint of Soldiers is Saint Martin of Tours, his feast day is 11th November and was so for countless centuries before W.W.1.

http://catholicfire.blogspot.co.uk/2008/11/feast-of-st-martin-of-tours-patron.html

We now see why the Ottoman Empire declared war on Christian soldiers on 11th November 1914, link below:-

http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/ottoman-empire-declares-war

Shall i continue???

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Absolutely no chance whatsoever, I'm sorry to say!

I will have to agree with you on that one.

What with the rough and tumble of the modern game.

It's all about the rampant egos of the players and managers alike.

And that's before all the fouls,red cards and general unsporting behaviour.

If Paulo Di Canio was managing one of these teams the truce would be broken within mere seconds.

However his slave-driving and work ethic would make sure the match dosn't even kick off.

Paul Mcartney's "Pipes of Peace" was actually a send-off of this in the video.

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Hi, monk.

I wish I could say you’re insane, but there certainly is a little bit too much of coincidences there. And I don’t believe in coincidences.

Also, I was wondering about that 11th November at 11:11 since I heard about it... why wait for damn 11th minute of 11th hour of 11th day if you can stop the war and save lives NOW. What kind of psychopath b****** waits for his precious pretty date while people are ****en dying!?

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Hi Helen of Annoy,

I might be insane ha ha! But only because of what i study, the United States didn't sign the Treaty of Versailles but made a separate peace with Germany, please read small print at top of document below:-

http://en.wikisource...ny_Peace_Treaty

In law both signed copies must be exchanged for ratification and to become valid, this happened in Berlin on 11/11/1921, it all does seem a little intentional, doesn't it!

I could go much further in explaining this awful war!

Edited by monk 56
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One of the soldi that took part in this just passed away within 5 or 6 years ago he was 100.

This is also my favorite story

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this story always makes me happy :)

plus soccer is the best

Edited by spartan max2
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so who won the football game? :D

Germans, 3:2 and thus the truce was over. Kidding. The truce was over because the investors who invested in a world war certainly wouldn't have mass of cannon fodder make peace out of simple common sense and go home alive.

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Hi Helen of Annoy,

A great deal of information on W.W.1. can be found by scrolling down my link below to thread section #64 and #65, then reading into next page although staggered with other information:-

http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=232340&st=60

The whole thread may interest you, but will take time to understand fully, the thread will continue as long as i'm alive!

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Theres other examples of opposing Christian Armies not fighting on Christmas and sharing among one another.

Do tell.

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Theres other examples of opposing Christian Armies not fighting on Christmas and sharing among one another.

There were a number of German attempts to repeat the 'football' truce, (Easter Sunday 1915, December 1916 and 1917), but the British High Command cracked down harshly on any British involvement so it was never repeated in any large numbers.

As to the result of that particular match, the score was never recorded, but just outside Frehlinghien in France, a similar match in 1914between a Bn. of the Royal Welch Fusiliers and the German 371st. Inf.Bn. apparently ended with the Germans winning on penalties. (Nothing unusual there, then!)

(My files)

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