Memorial Christmas Truce 1914 Frelinghien

This memorial commemorates the brief truce between British and German troops in this sector of the front during Christmas 1914. The monument was inaugurated on 11 November 2008 in the presence of the grandchildren of the officers who commanded the troops of both camps: Major Miles Stockwell and Colonel Joachim Freiherr Von Sinner, to commemorate this armistice. The cannon placed near the memorial, a relic of the time, was installed on 11 November 2021 following a donation from the Prévost family.

In the commune of Frelinghien, on the outskirts of the neighbouring commune of Houplines, the British trench system included three lines with a depth of 100 to 200 metres. The first line made it possible to detect enemy activity directly by observation and listening, and to admit sustained fire. The second line, which was called the support line, allowed for curve fire ahead of the 1st line or provided new resistance if the 1st line was crossed. Finally, there was the support trench where reserve troops and supplies could be positioned.

‘On Christmas morning 1914, everything was quiet. No more shots. One of the non-commissioned officers of Company A of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers hung up a sign with the inscription ‘Merry Christmas’.
The Germans of the machine gun company of the 6th Prussian Jäger Battalion, occupying the Lutun brewery opposite, did the same. Around noon, a German soldier came through the fog along the towpath with his hands in the air. A Welsh soldier joined him. They shook hands and the Prussian offered a box of cigars. Other Germans came out of the trenches. The Welshmen, who were strictly forbidden to do the same, then started throwing tins of canned beef and jam... The Germans shouted not to shoot, not to fight that day. They hoisted a keg of beer onto the parapet and rolled it into No Man's Land. The commander of Company A of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers , Captain Clifton Stockwell, climbed to the top of the trench and shouted in German that he wanted to see the commander of the opposing company. According to the testimony of a Welsh soldier, many gunners had already left their trenches to join the Germans, so the situation was imposed on Captain Stockwell. Captain Baron Maximillian Von Sinner, commander of the Prussian company, came to meet the Welsh captain at No Man's Land. The two greeted each other nicely.
Stockwell indicated that he had orders not to call an armistice and that it was risky for the German troops to go out in the open. Von Sinner agreed and, having received the same orders, sent his men back to their lines. Both, however, agreed a truce until the following morning. Stockwell offered pudding to Von Sinner and his non-commissioned officers who had joined him. They offered bottles of beer and everyone toasted. On the evening of 25 December and the following night, there was no shooting. On the morning of the 26th, Stockwell climbed the trenches, fired three shots in the air and unfurled a flag with the inscription ‘Merry Christmas’. Von Sinner also fired three shots in the air. The war had resumed. Everything remained calm, however, apart from numerous exclamations praising the quality of French beer. Peace prevailed throughout the day, punctuated by Welsh and German songs!’.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar & Samuël Van Eetvelde & Joni Machtelinckx
• Photos: Samuël Van Eetvelde & Joni Machtelinckx