Ypres, Belgium

95 years ago today, late on Christmas Eve in 1914, a remarkable impromptu truce took place on the Western Front of World War l. British and German troops entrenched in freezing mud began serenading each other with songs and carols. By the following day, a full truce was on, with soldiers and officers from both sides meeting in no-man’s land to bury fallen comrades, fraternize, and exchange gifts of food and drink. There was even an informal international soccer match played with teams comprised of warring soldiers… read more about this remarkable day of peace here. Find lots of video tributes and historic photographs by simply Googling “Christmas truce.”

The quotations above are from a first-hand account written by Henry William Williamson, who had just turned 19 at the time.