The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-12-27
SAW NO TRUCE
ON THE SOMME
British Kept Up the Fight
on Christmas
Eve
GRENADES AS
SOUVENIRS
Efforts Of the Germans to
Fraternize Are Dis
couraged

With the British armies in France
Dec. 27.-So far as fighting Is concerned
Christmas, 1916, was just Dec. 25 to
Britain's warriors. Christmas eve in no
wise differed from the preceding night
The fighting continued in precisely the
same way.
couraged by grenades and trench NOR
tars. On one OCCASION the Saxons in an
opposite trench lifted up over their para
pet Christmas tree, and as the Tom
mics facing il remarked, eve hung
oranges, apples and bonbons on it," or,
in other words, they deluged it with
grenades. IL was observable that the
experiment was not repeated.
Troops resting in billets at the rear be-
gan Christmas celebration with lunches,
dinners and parties yesterday. There
were amateur theatricals and Christmas
trees at the field Y. NJ. G. A. huts-the
Y. NJ. C. A. furnishing band music and
all extras. In the meanwhile those in
the foremost trenches awaited their re-
lief that they, too, might celebrate.
In the front trenches the fighters, be-
tween periods of watching and fighting,
opened their packages from home. For
the most part these were trinkets made
by mothers, sweethearts or wives. But
for the Tommies who had none Of these
there were plenty of trinkets and Christ
mas gifts from volunteer friends back in
England. The procedure of this opening
of gifts was the same all along the line
with the British Tommies, the Anzac
men, the Canadians.
Christmas eve came with stars shining
from a cloudless sky. But that great IL
Elimination in the east was not the star
of Bethehem-but a star shell of war,
sent aloft by nervous Germans above the
horrible garbage heap known as mo
Mans Land" It's light was sent to
search out that debris for any living
thing
Presently, as night deepened, one could
see far up and down the line brilliant
fireballs suspended high over the trenches
like drifting flares at an American
Fourth of July celebration.
As Christmas decoration these pyro-
technics were beautiful-but horrible. 1t
was evident all through the night that
the Germans were expecting Christ
mas party" for under the star shells
every fantastic wavering shadow was
sufficient to start the German machine
guns purring or to provoke the high ten
stoned "ping" of sniper's rifle.
Sunday dawned bright, with the wealth
er unusually mild. Lazy moving clouds
were in the blue sky and as the day ad-
vanced sunshine and shadow alternated.
The church bells tangled forth Christ
mas-and Sunday-reminder across the
war-wrecked villages.
But out along the scrambled, barren
front trenches there was unusual activ-
ity throughout the day with French NOR
tar and hand grenade. There wasn't any
idea Of Christmas truce.
Back a little behind these lines OF
death the green slopes were reminiscent
of the blue grass valleys of Kentucky in
early springtime. 1t was another green
Christmas on the front. And there was
plenty of Christmas mistletoe relieving
the otherwise gaunt trees, their blossoms
giving a touch of color against the bril-
liant green heather.
In the air swarms of warplanes eircled,
while the putter of machine guns was
distinctly audible when an occasional en-
envy plane ventured for moment to dis
pute the allied supremacy of cloudland.