The Christmas Truce of 1914 is famous but it was not the first Yuletide cessation of hostilities. The Educational News, of Edinburgh, Scotland, in its issue of December 25, 1914, recorded a striking incident which occurred during the Franco-German War of 1870. An American editor who reprinted it said, “It is not impossible for history to repeat itself, and, perhaps, a similar incident to that described below may have happened during Yuletide, 1914.” And indeed it had.
It was late on Christmas Eve. All day long the troops had been engaged in heavy fighting; the fire had been unceasing and the artillery deadly. Now, as darkness enfolded them, the soldiers, tired with their hard day’s work and weary of games in the trenches, were falling asleep, oblivious of the terrible conditions around them. Not many remained awake except the sentries, whose constant footsteps were heard regularly passing to and fro.
Only a hundred yards separated the two armies, and there was fear of treachery in the night watches. As it neared midnight, a young Frenchman rose up quietly and stealthily from his uncomfortable position, left his rifle lying in the trench, and started to cross the intervening space, after giving the password to the guards. They would have held him back, but he refused to stay, although warned of the extreme danger he was running into. The sentries were at a loss to understand his action, but he pleaded hard for liberty for an hour. Picking his way cautiously, the soldier crawled towards the German ranks, and by careful maneuvering arrived within a few yards of their trenches before being noticed by them. Suddenly, however, a sentry leaped, as it were, out of the darkness, demanding in gruff tones to know the business of the midnight intruder. For an answer, the Frenchman stood erect. Then quietly, yet very sweetly, in the stillness of the night, he commenced to sing. His voice rang out clear, and the Germans listened while he continued the beautiful carol:”Nöel, Nöel, Nöel, Nöel, Born is the King of Israel.”
The sentry remained spellbound; the Germans lying in their wet trenches awakened from their slumber, listened eagerly to the singer reminding them of the first Christmas joy. The Frenchman finished the verse and chorus, then, as quietly as he had come, turned back towards his own station. Passing the sentries, he lay down in his trench tired out, but happier because he had given a message of cheer to his enemies.
Not long afterwards the sentries on duty outside the French trenches, hearing footsteps approaching, challenged a soldier coming toward them, whereupon a German halted, and in a melodious voice, began their version (which is reputed to be the prettiest) of the carol which the Frenchman had just sung.
The Frenchmen listened intently while the German continued the carol. The words they could not understand, but they knew the melody, and that it spoke of Christmas. As the singer completed the first verse the Frenchmen in the trenches rose up in a body, and as with one voice joined heartily in the chorus.
Silence reigned again for a few moments. when the singing stopped. Then, as if in echo, the answering chorus came from the German lines. The Frenchmen listened with rapt attention, and as soon as it was finished, started the chorus again on their side. The Germans took up the refrain, and together both armies sang eagerly on Christmas morning the carol which tells so beautifully of the first Christmas Day.
Historians disagree on the carols that were sung. I’m very doubtful that French and Prussian troops serenaded each other with an English song “The First Noël” and am inclined to believe that either they both sang versions of Silent Night” or that the French contributed “Cantique de Noël” and the Germans replied with “Von Himmel Hoch”.