CHRITMAS TRUCE Flashcards
Where Is the speaker what is he doing here
The speaker is an English soldier fighting German soldiers in world war one he is in his dug out writing a letter to his sister
Who brought him to see the sight what had the speaker been doing at that time
His friend John brought him to see the sight he had drifted off to sleep
What were the clusters of tiny lights
The clusters of time lights were the Christmas trees. In front of the German trenches while the Germans had light candles or lanterns as beacons of goodwill
What did the Germans do next
The Germans then started singing Christmas carols
What does the speaker refer to as British khaki and German grey
British khaki and German grey were the uniforms of the British and German armies respectively
How did many of the Germans know English
Many of the German soldiers had worked in England someone was a waiter at the hotel Cecil another German had been a porter at Victoria station another had a girlfriend in London
describe the gives exchanged by the two sides
The British army exchange their tea for German coffee their corned meat for German sausage badges and buttons were exchanged spiked helmets were given to British soldiers the speaker traded a Jack knife for a leather equipments belt
What did the old German soldier ask the speaker as they were leaving
The German soldier clutch the arm of the speaker and asked in astonishment that’s why could they not have peace and all go home
Why were the two sides is not fighting seriously
Because it was Christmas Eve and the German side started to celebrate and invite the British army to join when they Sang carols together and shared food and gifts they wanted to celebrate Christmas
Which fear constantly loomed over them
The fear of getting killed in the battlefield that any moments and artillery shell may land and explode beside them killing or injuring several of them they did not dare to lift their heads out of the ground during daylights
How do we know the conditions of the battlefield the word terrible
It was freezing cold on the battlefield during the day are used to be little shelling or rifle fire from each side also as it was raining everyday they had to Bail the water out with pots and pans from the trenches it made the trenches muddy
What date is the officers on both sides decided
The officers on both sides decided to stop shooting till tonight tomorrow but soldiers to remain on duty and stay alert
Describe the interaction between the German and British soldiers
The British and the German soldiers Sang Christmas carols together they exchange their adresses to one of the German soldiers said that he used to work as a waiter at the hotels cecil the other one had a girlfriend in London someone worked as a Porter at Victoria station they exchange their food and gifts also
What idea does Tom Express at the end of his letter
Tom not help but imagine what would happen if the spirit shown here caught by the nations of the world disputes might arise but what if the leaders offers blessings in place of warning and gift in place of reprisals then he wonders that all Nations say that they wants peace but if they wanted
