Christmas in the Trenches by Alan Wakefield Page A

from the number of entries in letters, diaries and memoirs. As well as being a way to ease the burden the war had placed on them, if only for a couple of days, the presence of French and Belgian civilians provided some continuity with peacetime Christmases through the inclusion of the elderly, women and children; all reminders of the people the soldiers had left at home. So, the chance to have Christmas dinner in a family environment was too good a chance to miss:
    When I awoke this morning my first thoughts were of the dear little girlies and I fancied I could see them running down to get their little stockings and bringing them up and turning them out on the bed. Of course they hung them up, didn’t they. I was with you too about midday and could see you all at dinner and imagined what all your thoughts would be. ‘I wonder what kind of Xmas dinner Mowbray is having’. Well dear, I can say I had the best dinner today I’ve had in the Army. We had roast pork, potatoes and cabbage, Fig pudding, Jam roll, Xmas pudding and Jelly. Of course that was of our own procuring and not Army rations. The Old Frenchman and his wife at the Farmstead sat down with us and there was 17 of us all told. She cooked the joint and vegetables for us and one of our fellows made the puddings. Of course the Xmas puddings were yours and one of the other fellows’ wives. The fellows wished ‘Good Luck’ to the makers of them so I pass it on to you and hope you will enjoy their wishes. We have not yet had our ‘Daily News’ pudding, but I think we shall be getting them in a day or so. It has not been a very nice day today – very windy and some rain, somewhat like last Xmas was if I remember aright . . . I have been very temperate, did have two small drops of port – there is only myself and one other young fellow who doesn’t take anything. He only has port and rum. If I drank beer I could have had plenty, but I am not sorry. 3 ( Pte Mowbray Meades, 2nd Middlesex )
    For soldiers from Australia and New Zealand, Christmas 1916 was their first on the Western Front. Though a good number had already experienced terrible winter conditions at Gallipoli the previous year, for new drafts the difference to home was marked, although the army did its best to give men a break from the conflict:
    I shall tell you how I spent Christmas; I guess very differently to anybody out in dear Australia. (Oh, lovely land of sunshine.) Well, we went to bed as soon as we could last night, as we were very tired, having been going from 7 o’clock in the morning till 8 at night, first with a load of coal and then with a very big load of rations, which we took to a spot over twenty miles away. We went to bed thinking, well, we had a chance of not being pulled out too early, as they said we were doing two days’ work in one, so as to have Christmas as free as possible. Imagine our feelings when at 3 o’clock this morning we were called up, to go out, and have breakfast after we had finished the job. It was pouring rain, dark, and as cold as charity. I thought, ‘A merry Xmas, and no mistake.’ We were up to our ankles in mud, and the engine was in a terrible starting humour. Well, the job was on coal, and we got finished and were back for breakfast at 11 o’clock, but it was a good breakfast. After the rain ceased and things had a more pleasant aspect I got to work on washing some clothes, which I had wanted to do for about five weeks . . . Well, I got to my washing and did it all, and then I sewed four of my brass buttons which had come off on to my Australian overcoat, and after that it was our great Christmas tea. It was in two of the huts, and electric light had been put on from the workshop. Long tables were up each side, and were decorated with fancy paper flags and Chinese lanterns, all got from the Expeditionary Force canteens. They looked really splendid. All of us sat down, and the N.C.O.s waited on us, and they did it well. I may say the whole thing was run