Frank Richards "The Christmas Truce 1914" Literary discussion animation WW1 Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Heres a virtual movie of British World War one soldier Frank Richards (1884 - 1961) reading his celebrated eyewitness account of the extraordinary temporary truce that occured between The bitterly opposed British and German soldiers during the Christmas Eve of 1914 "The Christmas Truce 1914" This eyewitness account appeared in Frank Richards, , Old Soldiers Never Die (1933); Kind Regards Jim Clark All rights are reserved on this video recording copyright Jim Clark 2009 Frank Richards was a British soldier who experienced the "Christmas Truce". We join his story on Christmas morning 1914: "On Christmas morning we stuck up a board with 'A Merry Christmas' on it. The enemy had stuck up a similar one. Platoons would sometimes go out for twenty-four hours' rest - it was a day at least out of the trench and relieved the monotony a bit - and my platoon had gone out in this way the night before, but a few of us stayed behind to see what would happen. Two of our men then threw their equipment off and jumped on the parapet with their hands above their heads. Two of the Germans done the same and commenced to walk up the river bank, our two men going to meet them. They met and shook hands and then we all got out of the trench. Buffalo Bill [the Company Commander] rushed into the trench and endeavoured to prevent it, but he was too late: the whole of the Company were now out, and so were the Germans. He had to accept the situation, so soon he and the other company officers climbed out ...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9oI4K9FSxA&hl=en