(The Great War)
Prior to Christmas 1914, after five months of World War I, there were some peace initiatives. The Open Christmas Letter was a public plea for peace addressed “To the Women of Germany and Austria,” and signed by 101 British women suffragists. Pope Benedict XV on December 7th asked the heads of state for an official truce, but his proposal was rebuffed. Subsequently on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, along the Western Front, a series of unofficial truces occurred in “no man’s land.” German and British soldiers exchanged seasonal greetings and songs between their trenches. Many war-weary soldiers from both sides emerged from their trenches and ventured into no man’s land, where they exchanged tobacco, food and souvenirs. Several meetings involved joint burial ceremonies or carol-singing. Some troops from both sides even played impromptu soccer matches.