Thread: World War One no mans land

Does anybody out there know anything about the football match that took place on christmas day 1914 between england and germany?

I'm about 60 or so pages into a feature script about it.

???

I assume you've checked Wikipedia. If not, there's a decent write up on "Christmas Truce."

Snoopy vs The Red Baron - YouTube

There were a number of football matches played in different places. The christmas truce wasn't universal, some places did little more than clean up and drain trenches and bury their dead. Others met the opposition for only a short period, usually when their commanding officers found out about the fraternisation.

You can find out more here

Originally Posted by DuKane

There were a number of football matches played in different places. The christmas truce wasn't universal, some places did little more than clean up and drain trenches and bury their dead. Others met the opposition for only a short period, usually when their commanding officers found out about the fraternisation.

You can find out more here

OX... your youtube link doesn't work

DuKane, many thanks for the link, i've added it to the others i have on file for research, but this is specific to the football match on the German, French, Belgium border area.

There are a number of documented instances where the troops met up on the battlefield, largely because when they were sent there in July, they were all told that it was a storm in a teacup and that they would all be home by Christmas!

But it's the football match that interests me.

I'd rather tell a more acurate and truthful story than one that's been glammed up for the film critics... Oh what a lovely war was directed by Richard Attenborough for example, but the no mans land meeting lasts for less than 3 minutes, which is pointless, as it is the meeting that is key. building up to it and any after events are mere subplots.

The same can be said for the 2005 version called Joyeux Noel, where the opening credits took eight minutes, and they littered it with irrelevant love stories and operatic singing... but then that's the middle classes for you, as they will only ever fund projects that appeal to them and theirs... a far cry from the days of Ealin, Pinewood and Shepperton.

Sure, Guinness, Mills, Simm and the others were a bunch of luvvies who thought their poop didn't stink... however, whenever they got infront of a camera, they played down to the lowest common denominator, as majority rules, and bums on seats are the only thing that will ever make for a box office smash, so in the same way that uppers won't invest in lower films, lowers won't always buy into upper films.

I want someone called Eggbert... i want someone with swampfoot... i want all the things that other film makers don't want.

Originally Posted by The Backward OX

Snoopy vs The Red Baron - YouTube

Why he didn't shoot, we'll never know, or was it the bells from the village below? Christmas bells, oh Christmas bells, ring out through the land...

Originally Posted by Chuffmonkey

I want someone called Eggbert... i want someone with swampfoot... i want all the things that other film makers don't want.

Ok...so I guess that you are looking more for anecdotal evidence from the blokes themselves?

Regarding that, you may well find that a lot of the letters / diaries / stories have been sanitised by the writers themselves as they didn't want to share the horrors with those back home, however a number contain a lot of black humour of the time.

First World War.com - Memoirs & Diaries
Does what it says on the tin, contains diaries and stories from those who where there. Does have some info on football match(es), there wasn't just one! Full of black humour!! I heartily recommend the best 500 cockney war stories!

BBC - History: World War One
Not sure how good the BBC history site is for WW1, I only use it for WW2 and for that its excellent.

A number of books tend to fall into the "Oh isn't this 'orrible" category. If you just want an impartial, military, non political view then Liddel Harts History of the First World War.

I'm more of a ww2 buff but I have done some research on ww1 as my grandfather fought with the Gurkha's.
Hope some of this helps.