The Christmas Truce

[Lachlan09]

Thanks

Funny you should mention white goat-skin jerkins. These jerkins, with the hair on the outside, came in all sorts of “goat” colours of course, usually brown or brown/white, but of course the contractors making them for the troops would join whatever coloured sleeves to whatever coloured bodies were at hand in their work-pile. So you might get a brown/white body with a brown sleeves etc. There were no buttons or buckles, they were tied with attached tapes. In 1914/15, all-white goat-hair jerkins were the most highly prized of all, even if it meant risking being a target. These jerkins were a development of the “poshteen”, which was adopted by 19th Century British-Indian Army officers and sometimes men. It was a hairy Indian cold weather coat (hair on the inside) worn by tribesmen in the North West Frontier (now Pakistan/Afghanistan), also known by 1960’s hippies as an Afghan coat, .

In 1914, single-breasted dismounted greatcoats were standard issue of course and many photos exist of that first winter and spring during which British soldiers in the trenches are wearing these great-coats, sometimes with rubber Wellington boots. However, great-coats were clumsy to wear in trenches and got heavy with mud and waterlogging, so some troops in the first winter and more in the second winter wore these goatskin jerkins, sometimes over a great-coat. That was fine for cold dry weather , but in the rain, the goat-skin jerkins got soaked and started to smell terribly, even noticeable in the already-miasmic trenches ! So water-proof capes were later issued for rainy weather. By winter 1916, great-coats and goat-skin jerkins had been withdrawn for trench duty and instead soldiers wore a sleeveless leather jerkin, lined with khaki wool cloth and buttoned down the front with composition buttons. The image of the late-war British/Canadian/Anzac/South African Tommy in steel helmet, Balaklava, leather jerkin and woollen gloves is an enduring one. The Americans also adopted these leather jerkins for trench-wear in the winter and the British used them again throughout WW2, being such practical items.

Khaki cotton kilt aprons were first introduced for hot-weather campaign wear to protect the kilt against jagged scrub etc and offer some camouflage, in the 1890’s. It was a frontal apron only. It was famously worn in the Second Boer War (1899-1902) by the Highland Brigade. By the start of WW1, the apron had developed into a complete wrap-around, with a flapped pocket in front and a few large rounded pleats at the back. Being cotton, it didn’t offer much protection against cold, but helped against wet and mud. It probably saw its last days in action in France Spring 1940, where a photo exists of an HLI stretcher-bearer (musician) in his kilt with apron.

[Balaamsass51]

The celtic band MacTallah Mor has a song on their album "No Mans Land" called "Christmas Truce" about this very thing. You can find the lyrics at www.mactalla.com clck on music, lyrics, go to the second album where you can find the lyrics.

They are a great group, you can listen to some of their stuff on youtube.

Matt

[WClarkB]

These jerkins were a development of the “poshteen”, which was adopted by 19th Century British-Indian Army officers and sometimes men. It was a hairy Indian cold weather coat (hair on the inside) worn by tribesmen in the North West Frontier (now Pakistan/Afghanistan), also known by 1960’s hippies as an Afghan coat, .
.

There was Afghan of Pishair,
whose vestments were principally hair,
All his goats he did skin
(with a venomous grim)
but when cold was not given to share

[MacLowlife]

I highly recommend Joyeux Noel. It is not pretty, certainly not at first, but it is moving.

[WClarkB]

ooops

[ExDragoon]

My first introduction to this incident was through the song "Christmas in the Trenches". Beautifully written piece of music. I can't remember who performed it but no doubt it can be tracked down on the web.
Karl

[macwilkin]

My first introduction to this incident was through the song "Christmas in the Trenches". Beautifully written piece of music. I can't remember who performed it but no doubt it can be tracked down on the web.
Karl

John McCutcheon

http://www.worldwar1.com/sfcitt.htm

[Lachlan09]

History Channel is running the 1914 Truce story this Christmas Day.

[Sionnach]

I have known about the story, but not the film(s). So after following the first few posts I queued up Joyeux Noel from Netflix- I did find it a moving film and will likely watch it again this weekend with my wife. Thanks all for posting about it.

Regards,

[Lachlan09]

My satellite TV transmission went on the blink just before the Christmas Truce was televised on History Channel.

There were also unofficial truces at Christmas 1915, but at a far smaller scale than 1914 and very well-hidden from their superiors !