December 24th 1914
We go back to the trenches tonight Xmas Eve, it is going to be a moonlight night so I think we shall lose a few men while we are relieving the other regiment. We get near the trenches but carn’t hear any firing, now we hear some singing in their trenches and ours, we have got settled now it is about 7pm and one of the Ger’s who can speak English is shouting over to us to go over, we shout back “come half way” it is agreed on, our sergeant goes out, their man takes a lot of coaxing but comes at the finish, and we find they have sent two, we can hear them talking quite plain, they exchange cigs and the German shouts to wish us a Merry Xmas, we wait for the sergeants return, he gets back and tells us they are not going to fire tonight nor tomorrow if we don’t, they have got lights all along the trench and also a Xmas tree lit up, they are singing and we gave them one…
…this night I would not have missed for a lot, I don’t go to sleep til 2.30 Xmas morning get up 6.30 see all the Germans walking about on top of their trenches, now some of them come over without rifles, of course our fellows go to meet them including myself, it is a strange sight and unbelievable, we are all mixed up together, there are quite a lot can talk English, they all say it is a pity to fight while we are all up to our knees in mud, their trenches are worse than ours, we exchange some souvenirs, I pull a button off my coat a G does the same so we exchange, also cigars, I have got 2 buttons, one cap badge and 2 cigarettes.
Diary of Private W Tapp, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, November 1914- January 1915
Imperial war Museum Archives