Think about that: during WWI soldiers from opposing sides laid down their guns and celebrated Christmas together. How could this happen in the most intense and brutal periods of the war? It stopped the war for one day! It would be great if the war stopped right there, but it didn`t.
Just like music, football is a form of communication. And even in the darkest places on earth, humanity can break through - with football - the universial language. Football, like music, speaks without words - it connects people across borders.
This documentary tell the amazing story of the Christmas Truce of the First World War. It has become a legendary story. Based on information, the romantic image of enemies shaking hands in the middle of no man’s land, or playing football between the trenches, reoccurs again and again in popular culture. But how much of it is true? What do we really know about this moment of peace in a brutal war? The photographs, letters and interviews in IWM’s collection tell the real story of the Christmas Truce.
In this video, Head of Documents and Sound Anthony Richards explains how the truce came about, its impact on the course of the First World War and why it never happened again after 1914.
In December 1914, the First World War was only months old, but the trenches were already filled with cold, fear, and death. Then something unexpected happened. On Christmas Eve, soldiers from both sides — British and German — slowly climbed out of their muddy trenches with empty hands. Instead of bullets, they shared greetings, songs, food… and a football.
On frozen ground between barbed wire and shell holes, enemies passed a ball and laughed together. For a brief moment, they were not soldiers — just young men far from home. At that moment, they probably realized that the ones they were fighting against were same kind human beings as they were.
The war did not end that day, but the Christmas Truce became a lasting reminder: even in the darkest places on earth, humanity can break through.
Stein Morten Lund, 25th October 2025
Additional information
The Christmas Truce | History
Sainsbury’s Christmas advert, 1914.
Movie made in partnership with The Royal British Legion. Inspired by real events from 100 years ago. This year’s Christmas ad from Sainsbury’s – Christmas is for sharing. Made in partnership with The Royal British Legion, it commemorates the extraordinary events of Christmas Day, 1914, when the guns fell silent and two armies met in no-man’s land, sharing gifts – and even playing football together.
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