WWI Soldiers Find Peace in Football

Sports History This Week

December 24, 1914. Soldiers are stuck in cold, wet trenches on either side of the conflict across the Western Front. The Great War has just begun and it’s their first Christmas away from home.

On the holiday’s eve, one man sees a light coming from the German’s side. A British soldier recalled, “With ears strained, I listened, and then all down our line of trenches, there came to our ears a greeting unique in war: ‘English soldier, English soldier, a merry Christmas!’”

Today, World War I comes to a halt as an unofficial ceasefire breaks out across the northeastern border of France. Why do opposing nations choose to lay down their arms? And when they cross the battlefield, how do sports help them meet as friends?

Special thanks to our guest, Mike Hill, author of The Christmas Truce By The Men Who Took Part: Letters From The 1914 Ceasefire On The Western Front.

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