Football match in No Man’s Land on Christmas Day

Tyrone, 6 January 1915 - Lieutenant David Williamson from Co. Tyrone has written to his family to tell them of an extraordinary truce at the front on Christmas Day:

‘There was a sort of truce arranged today (Christmas Day) between some of our fellows and the Germans in front of them. Although the regiments to right and left kept firing spasmodically all day, the others went across and they and the Germans exchanged tobacco, and talked and sauntered about between the two lines of trenches.'

Tom Burke of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association explains the RDF's role in the Christmas Truce

Lt. Williamson continued: 'It was the queerest sight in the world to see two lots of men who a few hours before were intent on killing each other (and will be again tomorrow) talking together as if they were the greatest friends. They even arranged a football match, and since I started writing this letter a telephone message has come through to say that the Germans had won by three goals to two!’

[Editor's note: This is an article from Century Ireland, a fortnightly online newspaper, written from the perspective of a journalist 100 years ago, based on news reports of the time.]