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| For Dawn with love- In memory of an earlier Christmas http://www.the-cbb.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=5458 |
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| Author: | Secret Santa [ Tue Dec 23, 2008 4:35 am ] |
| Post subject: | For Dawn with love- In memory of an earlier Christmas |
This was inspired by the film 'Joyeux Noel' and a little research! The underlined text are quotes taken from letters home by British soldiers. The names have been changed to protect the innocent! Merry Christmas, Dawn WESTERN FRONT December 25 1914 Mrs Mary Maynard Pretty Maids New Forest My dearest Mary, I was so pleased to receive your letter and parcel. It arrived on December 23 just in time for Christmas. The socks and scarf will come in handy during this cold and snowy weather. I have never been so cold in my life, but I am thankful for the freezing conditions as the stench, lice, disease and rats would be much worse . This war is such a waste of young life and I would give anything to be able to save some of these boys form such a death. The conditions here in the hospital are primitive and many die of shock or post operative infections that I could treat successfully in a normal hospital. We are less than 1 mile from the front and the sound of the artillery fire is unnerving. I miss you and the children every day and am thankful you are in England and safe. Even more so since speaking to a French Officer whose wife is behind enemy lines. She is less that 2 miles away and he hasn’t had a letter from her in months. She was due to have a baby and he doesn’t know if he is a father, or if she is alive or dead. His name is De Bersac and he showed me a picture of his wife. She is such a young thing to be left without a husband at this time. I do hope he hears from her soon. We received parcels from the Red Cross which included food and warm clothing as well as a gift from Princess Mary. It was a small metal box which was filled with chocolate, butterscotch, cigarettes, tobacco and a picture card of the Princess herself and a message from King George-‘May God protect you and bring you safe home’ I am sending home the tin to keep safe for me until the war is over. Please share the sweets with the children as a Christmas gift, although only if Jack and Mollie and Bob have been well behaved! We have had such an unusual Christmas. Boiled bully beef was what we were expecting but we had fresh rabbit no less! Our guns were put to a different use and us, the French and Germans went hunting. Together. It started on Christmas Eve. The guns fell silent. We could hear the French and Germans talking and laughing in their trenches. I think I have told you that there is only about 100 yards between us and the enemy. We were expecting an attack. Instead our watchers looked out over the edge and called us to look at a wonderful sight. The German trenches were covered in flickering candle lights. A lone voice started singing ‘Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht’ . We could see one of the Germans walking towards no man’s land carrying a small tree covered in candles. He was the singer. As he stood there one by one his comrades joined in. When the song finished there was silence. Then a voice was raised from the German trenches ‘We no shoot, you no shoot’ Our Captain Stevens called back ‘we won’t shoot if you don’t’ and clambered out of the trench towards the German. The singer was joined by another German officer by the name of Marini, an Austrian by birth and the French officer De Bersac. They spoke for a while, drank champagne laughed and joked. When Stevens came back he told us they had all agreed to a cease fire for Christmas day. Men came out of the trenches. We sang Christmas carols in turns. We obliged with ‘the First Nowell’ and the Germans responded with ‘O Tannenbaum’. When we started to sing ‘O come all ye Faithful’ in good English, both French and German joined in with the Latin version ‘Adeste Fidele’ It was a curious scene- a lovely moonlit (Christmas) night, the German trenches with small lights covering them and the men on both sides gathered in groups on the parapets. Out of the darkness we could hear laughter and see lighted matches. Where they couldn’t talk the language they made themselves understood by signs and everyone seemed to be getting on nicely. We exchanged gifts- mostly food- sauerkraut, sausages, chocolate, cigarettes. Many of us exchanged addresses and promises to visit. We have an invitation after the war is over to meet up with a gentleman called Mensch who lives with this wife and widowed mother, should you fancy a trip to Innsbruck. Another German fellow who spoke excellent English had been employed as a waiter at the Ritz. He had to leave when war was declared. His best girl works there part time to put herself through university. If you find yourself in London and dining at the Ritz, keep an eye out for a girl by the name of Hilda Annsley I think her name was. She sounds like a nice girl. The German commanding officer spends most of his time at HQ. I gather that the men don’t particularly like Von Stift! The church bells rang out at midnight. We all grouped together. Chaplin Dene delivered the best Christmas Mass I have ever heard. It didn’t matter if you were Protestant or Catholic, French, German or English- we all understand the Traditional Mass. It’s weird to think that tomorrow night we shall be at it again. If one gets through this show it will be a Christmas to live in one’s memory. All my love to you, my darling Mary, and to Bob, Jack and Mollie. How they will have grown when I next see them. God willing that it may be soon. Your loving husband Robert Maynard PS, de Bersac has just found out he is a father. I’m so glad he was able to get news at last! They will call the boy Andre. |
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| Author: | keren [ Tue Dec 23, 2008 7:03 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: For Dawn with love- In memory of an earlier Christmas |
Goosebumps from the story. everyone is so clever |
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| Author: | Alison H [ Tue Dec 23, 2008 8:59 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: For Dawn with love- In memory of an earlier Christmas |
Reading about the Christmas truce always makes me want to cry ... thank you Santa, that was beautiful. |
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| Author: | Elbee [ Tue Dec 23, 2008 9:13 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: For Dawn with love- In memory of an earlier Christmas |
That was very moving. How clever to weave together so many characters we will get to know so well. Thank you, Santa. |
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| Author: | claire [ Tue Dec 23, 2008 12:04 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: For Dawn with love- In memory of an earlier Christmas |
Beautiful thank you |
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| Author: | leahbelle [ Tue Dec 23, 2008 1:12 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: For Dawn with love- In memory of an earlier Christmas |
That was really beautiful, Santa. |
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| Author: | Carolyn P [ Tue Dec 23, 2008 3:07 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: For Dawn with love- In memory of an earlier Christmas |
That is very clever and beautifuly told. |
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| Author: | Elder in Ontario [ Tue Dec 23, 2008 3:19 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: For Dawn with love- In memory of an earlier Christmas |
That is a beautiful and moving interweaving of World War I history with Chalet characters - I'm like Alison in that the story of that Christmas truce always makes me want to cry. Thanks, Secret Santa |
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| Author: | Smile :) [ Tue Dec 23, 2008 9:13 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: For Dawn with love- In memory of an earlier Christmas |
Wonderful Sanata, really moving. It's great how you managed to mix together so many chalet related people. |
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| Author: | PaulineS [ Tue Dec 23, 2008 11:08 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: For Dawn with love- In memory of an earlier Christmas |
Thank you Santa that was a beautiful story introducing so many who became friends in the EBD universe. |
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| Author: | shazwales [ Thu Dec 25, 2008 8:39 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: For Dawn with love- In memory of an earlier Christmas |
Thank you Santa that was beautiful and special. Just the the thing to read after a hectic Christmas Day |
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| Author: | Susan [ Mon Dec 29, 2008 11:00 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: For Dawn with love- In memory of an earlier Christmas |
A really beautiful story made all the poignant with the people from CS world being added to it. Thank you. |
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| Author: | Fiona Mc [ Wed Dec 31, 2008 1:57 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: For Dawn with love- In memory of an earlier Christmas |
Thanks that was so spooky with all the connections to the Chalet school |
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| Author: | Kathy_S [ Tue Jan 06, 2009 4:29 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: For Dawn with love- In memory of an earlier Christmas |
Thank you, Santa: that really meshes well with the CS characters. Has everyone heard John McCutcheon's song inspired by the Christmas truce? There's a version on YouTube here. |
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| Author: | Lyanne [ Sun Jan 11, 2009 10:50 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: For Dawn with love- In memory of an earlier Christmas |
So much hope for the future with the invitations to visit one another... I couldn't read it without a lump in my throat. |
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