h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: The Christmas Truce, 1914 - A87845412
Author: Galaxy Babe - eclectic editor - U128652

I had a day off today so I wrote this, been meaning to since I first saw the Sainsbury's Christmas advert last month.



GB

Very well done, thank you.

The one thing I might like to see added is that, although the truce occurred at several points along the line, it was not universal along all 400 miles of trenches. You hint at this in your bit about 'Shot at Dawn', but I think it might be more clearly stated.

Thank you for your fine effort. It is certainly a good read. And the links seem excellent, I have learned a few things from them



F S

Thanks very much for reading and your review FS. I have added that info



Have a very merry Christmas and a New Year

GB

That is exactly what I wanted to see added

Let me also wish the best of the season to you, your Mother and Ian and all the rest of your family.



I hope your 2015 is better than this last year for you I may not say it often enough. but we are all pulling for you

F S

FS has said it all, with perhaps a referance to the reaction of the German high command to provide balance.

Liked this entry very much. Some more please now you had left the stars a series like this would be fantastic.

Well done

Hi Annie. This is a good entry. I'd like to see it hurried through the publishing process and on the Front Page on Christmas Eve, although I suppose we'd need a picture for it and it's not easy to produce a good image in a hurry.

I've a few suggestions. Since the Entry is almost perfect, I hope you don't mind being picky about tiny points such as punctuation - this will make the sub-editing far easier.

I think you need a little context at the start to explain that this was part of the First World War - there might be a person somewhere who doesn't immediately associate the date of 1914 with the war in Europe. I suggest:

on the Western Front --> on the Western Front of the First World War

You suggest that the men all sang Auld Lang Syne together. Did the Germans join in? I can believe that the English knew the German hymn Silent Night, but it seems odd that the Germans would know the Scottish song Auld Lang Syne.

There were probably many soldiers shot at dawn during the war by enemy fire. I suggest the following change to make it clearer what you're talking about:

when those shot at dawn were pardoned -->
when those shot at dawn for treason were pardoned

Choice of words:

re-ignition of war -- this doesn't seem the right word to me. It means setting fire to something again.

the stories of the cessation of hostilities over Christmas was detrimental -->
the stories of the cessation of hostilities over Christmas were detrimental

or even downright lies -->
or even were downright lies

Punctuation:

joined in the singing, their words -- change comma to semicolon

tentatively responded, he left -- change comma to semicolon

This is lovely - thank you so much for adding this timely entry during the first centenary year.

I remember as a teenager reflecting on the Christmas Truce in an odd context - the song 'Christmas Bells'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WsbOLin8qc

Although it might seem that this kind of frivolity trivialises the scope of what happened, the song itself led to a very serious discussion at my house - about war, peace, truces, and the meaning of Christmas.

And just last night, to our delight, we found the BBC dramatisation of the story of the 'Wipers Times'. I've always thought that Gilbert Frankau and the others would have liked Snoopy...he would have fit right alongside Chloridy Lime and the other characters of that anarchic trench newspaper...

Thank you FS

Bob, I can't find any reactions of the German high command, so I have added: "No photographs were published in German newspapers and their reports were written in negative language, in direct contrast to the press in Britain."

I hope that suffices

I am unsure what you mean "left the stars" - unless you mean this isn't an astronomy entry - but that's not unusual for me, is it?

Gnomon - thank you I am honoured by your suggestion. I'll do my best to make it happen - I recall "Towel Day" was fast-tracked.

>>on the Western Front --> on the Western Front of the First World War

>>You suggest that the men all sang Auld Lang Syne together. Did the Germans join in? I can believe that the English knew the German hymn Silent Night, but it seems odd that the Germans would know the Scottish song Auld Lang Syne.
I have added " - those who didn't know the words joined in the linking of arms - "

>>when those shot at dawn were pardoned -->
when those shot at dawn for treason were pardoned

>>re-ignition of war -- this doesn't seem the right word to me. It means setting fire to something again.
It is what I meant but I agree the word is wrong. I have changed it to resumption of war

>>the stories of the cessation of hostilities over Christmas was detrimental -->
the stories of the cessation of hostilities over Christmas were detrimental

>>or even downright lies -->
or even were downright lies

Two commas replaced with semicolons

Thanks very much Gnomon for your proof read and review

Dmitri - thanks for that, as I was tweaking my entry the Sainsbury's commercial came on my television (in a ST: Voyager ad break...) I suspect you won't have seen it so here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWF2JBb1bvM

GB

Thanks, GB! Beautiful ad.

I liked the music - especially the use of 'Leaning on the Everlasting Arms'.

It has caused some controversy unfortunately

I think it's beautiful and it moved me (my paternal grandfather fought on the Western Front).

GB

Yes GB thats it its not an entry on the stars;

You may find the explanation of the western front useful

The Western Front was the name the Germans had for the trenches that ran on their (hence western Front and adopted by all combatants) western flank from Nieuwpoort Belgium to Pftterhouse on the Swiss border. The Belgian army fought on the section from Nieuwpoort to the French border. British and colonial forces covered the section from Belgium to the Somme river in France. the French army held the line from the south bank of the Somme to the Swiss border. The US forces fought with the french between the rivers Marne and Meause

Good work and yes it will be good to see this in the EG very soon

NB the line was 430 miles or 7000 kilometers approximately.

Casualties on the western front killed in action
France 1,357,800
GB + Empire 908,000
USA 126,000
Belgium 13,800

sorry 700 kilometers

Bob, there were surely some Germans killed on the Western Front?

I'm finding over 2 million German soldiers dead in the First World War, but no breakdown by fronts.

There was at least the kid in 'All Quiet on the Western Front'

But the numbers would only be useful here if they were limited to the casualties before the first Christmas

F S

all mothers' sons

Here are some figures for Germany, said to be from the Reicharchiv.

August to November..... Killed : 116,750 ; Missing : 107,640 ; Wounded : 453,050. Total: 677,440
Dec '14 to Jan '15 .......Killed : 54,825: Missing : 11,100; Wounded : 104,100 . Total: 170,025

Source: http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=158847

If GB wants to, the line

>>Two opposing sides, one day bent on killing each other, the next singing from the same hymn sheet, it must have felt like a respite from Hell itself.

Could be amended with

Even after only 4 months of war the casualties in the trenches had exceeded over a hundred thousand mother's sons.

Worded as the author wishes, of course.

It is strange how reading huge numbers of losses seems less real. than the one person you knew

I don't think any division by country or side is relevant, as the main point is about the unity of this event.

I am not sure this is needed. We do not need exact numbers for the reader to understand the event

F S