Christmas in the Trenches

Xmas in the Trenches.

Boom of Guns on the Yser.

Christmas Day brought a hard frost and a heavy winter mist to Belgium and Northern France (says a Times correspondent). The weather did its best to produce the Christmas atmosphere, but the combatants would not take the hint.  In the early hours of Christmas morning the guns began to boom on the Yser, showing that there was to be no truce.  The Germans made a fierce night attack on the French and Belgian positions recently won to the north of Nieuport. The Allies, however, were ready for them, and the German marines were driven back by machine guns and rifle fire, losing many men.

The Allies then made a counter- attack in their turn, which proved successful and resulted in a little more ground being won in the dunes.  There was a desultory bombardment over the Belgian front, particularly to the south of Dixmude, where the Belgians have succeeded in establishing themselves on the farther side of the Yser Canal.

On the British front things were quieter.  Thursday had seen one of the most violent cannonades of the war, but on Friday there was only occasional shelling, and on the whole our men were able to eat their Christmas dinner in peace.  For most of them there seems to have been good things in superabundance.  Plum pudding was served out to all the troops, so that quite apart from private supplies from home, plum pudding was eaten wherever rations could be delivered to the trenches.  The Army has been so flooded with parcels from home during the last days that men had five or six puddings to themselves.  Stories of orgies which will no doubt become legendary are already current, but the gist of all the talk that one hears is that our Army did, in spite of war conditions, spend its Christmas very merrily.

Internees Knitting

From the Portsmouth Evening News, 30th December 1914. 

Interned Naval Men

“A Helper” ...  gives some details of the Christmas treat provided for the interned Naval men in Holland through the efforts of Commodore Wilfred Henderson, and his officers and friends.  The small appeal made by them to the public was most generously responded to, and it was made possible to provide a splendid Christmas dinner of turkey and plum pudding for the 1,500 men, as well as a small gift for each.  The interned men are clothed and fed and housed and every effort is made to keep them occupied and in good spirits.

Commodore Henderson, in answer to inquiries, asked that no ready-made woollen garments should be deflected from the men at the front, but that friends should rather give wool, or money to buy wool, so that the men should knit their own warm garments, and when those on the spot were provided, should go on knitting for their less well-provided comrades in the trenches and at sea.  This was done, thus giving a number of men useful and interesting occupation.  

Seasonal Yorkshire Pudding and Oxo

From the Cambrian Daily Leader, 29th December 1914.

[What sort of Yorkshire pudding was seasonal, and obtained from grocers?  None that I have heard of.]

[Many ads were beginning to refer to the war - especially ads for products that the people at home could send to their men at the front. Oxo was a meat extract, sold in a jar (like Bovril) or in cubes.  I think "Oxo is made in a moment" refers to making a hot drink from it.   The beef stock cube is still the main product sold under the Oxo brand, but it has diversified into other products as well.]  

"Knitsters"

From the Birmingham Daily Post, 28th December 1914.

“Knitsters”

It is already evident that one of the prime pantomime jests evolved from the war will be directed at the untiring industry displayed by so many ladies just now in knitting and sewing.  “Sister Susie’s sewing shirts for soldiers” is to be heard well-nigh everywhere, while the comic man tangles himself and all around in knitting of the wildest description.  This good-natured satire does not go very far beyond the mark, for some of the exhibitions of feminine zeal in this direction are almost of themselves a joke.  Perhaps it was carrying the joke a little too far when, at the recent State opening of Parliament, an indefatigable lady passed the time of waiting for the King and Queen by knitting in the Royal Gallery of the Palace of Westminster.  When, just as the picturesque procession was about to appear, she dropped her ball of wool, which rolled right on to the red carpet, and was rescued and restored by a gorgeously-clad official just in time, a humorous scene was provided which not even the most daring pantomime producer would have devised.  The overflowing industry, indeed, has led to a demand for the creation of a name to fit the myriads who practise it.  “Knitster” is suggested on the analogy of “spinster,” and it would have the advantage of meaning precisely what it indicated, while the latter has lost its original significance.  The new word, in any case, might be preserved in the language as one of the war’s results.

[“Sister Susie’s sewing shirts for soldiers” was a popular song of 1914.  The words are given in an earlier post.] 

Knitting and Shooting

From The Observer. 27th December, 1914.

COURT AND SOCIETY

Dinner parties are extinct as the Dodo in this new London; people dine together in twos and threes, and bring their knitting.  If they play bridge, the winnings go to the war funds. Only for those who come back on a couple of days' leave from the trenches is an effort at gaiety made; a play or a restaurant dinner and as much cheerfulness as can be got into the few hours of their stay among us.

It has been said of the Queen in old days that Her Majesty knitted at every spare moment: at meals, and in the evening when talking to anyone.  This may now be said of the major portion of the social world of London; every woman knits and most of the men.  Those who did not know before how to manipulate knitting needles have speedily learnt, and thousands of useful woollen garments—socks, comforters, belts and mittens — have been made in the West End and sent out to our troops in Northern France.

So much for London.  In the country the customary autumn house-parties, which in grouse districts begin in August and in partridge districts have their commencement in September were conspicuous by their absence.  Almost every suitable house was offered to the War Office as a hospital.  Some of them are empty still, but they are equipped and ready with all the necessities for sick and wounded.  Game must be shot, but partridges and pheasants, hares and rabbits go to hospitals, to camps, to the fleet.


[Although it doesn't say so openly, it seems that before the war the Queen had been thought a bit eccentric and perhaps old-fashioned for knitting in public - until everyone else joined in.

The account of what's going on in the country sounds a bit Downton Abbey (upstairs).   I'm not sure why all the game has to be shot - especially the hares.]  

Boy Scouts as Coastguards

From the Yorkshire Evening Post, 26th December 1914.

BOY SCOUT COASTGUARDS.

This week I had a chat with two of the 10th S.W. Leeds lads who have been on coastguard duty at Filey, and who, after being away from home for nearly five months were granted a week’s furlough for Christmas.  They returned to the East Coast to-day.

Tanned by the sun and breeze, and with frames hardened and strengthened, these lads have benefited immensely by the outdoor life, and they admit that the job of coastguard is far more congenial than that of tailor or printer, to which they have been accustomed hitherto.  The party at Filey is made up of six Leeds lads, one Bridlington and one Filey lad.  They have quarters at the coastguards’ house and though in this case the Scouts do not prepare their own food, they have to keep the station shipshape.

As to the nature of their duties and their experience, the lads are reticent, and rightly so.  Each is on duty about nine hours in the twenty-four, taking his share of night work: so that they have not a great deal of leisure time on their hands.  A local gentleman takes them on early morning fishing trips occasionally, and the party has returned with much as a stone [14 pounds] of fish after one of these excursions.

Instead of the cowboy hat and khaki shirt, they wear the round hat of the coastguard and a dark blue knitted jersey.  The cowboy hat is not suitable for coast duty, and even the tight fitting hat in use requires to be fastened with a band under the chin.  Each has his oilskin for dirty weather.

The Leeds lads at Filey will probably be on duty till the end of the war, and if one may take Patrol Leaders Barlow and Earl as a criterion, they will derive great physical benefits while fulfilling the duties of auxiliary coastguard.

[The school leaving age in 1914 was 12, which explains why Boy Scouts could have been previously employed in Leeds, before becoming coastguards.  And even though the writer of this article probably didn't imagine the war going on for four more years, it is possible that some of the boys could have continued as coastguards until the end of the war, and were then still under 18 (the minimum age for joining up).]     

Comforts for Welsh Troops

From the Cambrian Daily Leader, 24th December 1914. 

MRS. LLOYD GEORGE'S APPEAL.

(To the Editor).
Sir,—I shall be glad if you will kindly allow me to appeal through your columns on behalf of the National Fund for Welsh Troops.

The committee is anxious that all Welsh regiments serving at home and abroad should be provided with additional comforts, such as shirts, socks, mittens, and Cardigan jackets, also pipes, tobacco, and cigarettes.

All contributions of money and kind will be gratefully received by me at 11, Downing-street, Whitehall, S.W.-- Yours faithfully, 

Margaret Lloyd George, 

Chairman of Committee.

11, Downing-street, Whitehall, London, S.W., 

December 21st, 1914.

[David Lloyd George was Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1914 - 11 Downing Street is the official residence of the Chancellor.  He had been Chancellor since 1908, when he had introduced Old Age Pensions, and became Prime Minister in 1916.  Margaret Lloyd George was Welsh, like her husband, and she raised a huge amount for charities during the war.]