Christmas Truce 1914

This Christmas Eve marks the 100^th anniversary of the 1914 “Christmas Truce” between Allied and German forces.  World War I was only on its fifth month by that December, yet troops were already growing weary of trench warfare life.  On Christmas Eve, soldiers on both sides ceased firing at one another.  The previously incessant pounding of artillery had fallen silent.  Troops on both sides began singing carols, one of which was reportedly “Silent Night.”  The soldiers then greeted each other and exchanged spontaneous gifts and souvenirs. 

The following is from a letter written by Henry Williamson, a 19 year old British soldier, on December 26, 1914.

Dear Mother, 

I am writing from the trenches. It is 11 o'clock in the morning.  Beside me is a coke fire, opposite me a 'dug-out' (wet) with straw in it.  The ground is sloppy in the actual trench, but frozen elsewhere. In my mouth is a pipe presented by the Princess Mary.  In the pipe is tobacco.  Of course, you say.  But wait.  In the pipe is German tobacco.  Haha, you say, from a prisoner or found in a captured trench. Oh dear, no!  From a German soldier.  Yes a live German soldier from his own trench. Yesterday the British & Germans met & shook hands in the Ground between the trenches, & exchanged souvenirs, & shook hands. Yes, all day Xmas day, & as I write. Marvellous, isn't it? Yes.

The following day witnessed soccer matches in some sectors of the front.  The war would continue on for another four years, however, and progressively grew worse in its barbarity.  No further “Christmas Truces” were witnessed, at least not the likes of which had been seen in 1914.

When we sing “Silent Night” this Christmas, think about the silent field of battle on December 24, 1914.  Let that image then remind us that Jesus Christ has also silenced the wrath of God against His people.  Think about the temporary, cautious reconciliation between British and German soldier.  Then think about the eternal, bold reconciliation between those that are in Christ and the Father.  For those that have faith in Jesus Christ, the cease of hostilities between them and the Father endures forever, and that promise has been guaranteed by Christ’s resurrection. 

Marvelous, isn’t it?  Yes, indeed.

Suicides in the Military

A Christian Army chaplain was recently punished for quoting the Bible during a suicide prevention training session.  There are two things that bother me about this.

First, if one does not want a chaplain to use supporting documentation from their faith then they should not ask a chaplain at all.  It is ridiculous that something so obvious even has to be spelled out.  If someone asks a psychiatrist to teach a suicide prevention training session, we should expect some psychiatric anecdotes to support their position.  They would, after all, be a psychiatrist.  Nor should anyone be surprised or offended if a Muslim chaplain quoted the Koran or a Jewish chaplain quoted the Torah during such a training session.  There is nothing illegal about a chaplain talking about their faith, especially during an applicable topic like suicide, which brings me to my second point.

Suicide needs to be taken seriously.  I will say that again because I am not convinced that we do.  Suicide needs to be taken seriously.  The military is still losing an average of one member every 18 hours to suicide.  The military leadership that punished that chaplain needs to redirect their focus on that statistic.  It does not help that the civilian sector takes suicide no more serious.  Rather, there is now a rise of suicide glorification in our culture, even referring to such acts as “dignified.”  This is nonsense.  This is irresponsible.  This is dangerous and its needs to be addressed.  We need leadership in the military and in the civilian sector to raise awareness on this epidemic.

Sir Henry Boynton: My Rebellious Ancestor

You will find the good, the bad, and the ugly when researching your ancestry.  Going back 22 generations, Sir Henry Boynton, a knight, is a grandfather of mine on my mother’s side.  He was executed in 1405 for taking up arms against king Henry IV of England in the “Northern Rising.”  Boynton had joined Sir Henry Percy, 1^st Earl of Northumberland and Richard le Scrope, Archbishop of York, in the rebellion.  The insurrection was fueled by the king’s proposal to confiscate the clergy’s landed wealth.  On May 27, Percy, Scrope, Boynton and a force of 8,000 men assembled to battle at Shipton, North Yorkshire.  Instead of giving battle, Scrope parleyed and was tricked into disbanding the army in return for ensuring their personal safety.  Scrope and Boynton were arrested yet Percy was able to escape across the border to Scotland.  Scrope was then executed June 8 and Boynton on July 2.  At his execution, Sir Henry Boynton left behind his wife Elizabeth (daughter of Sir John Merrifield) and his son William, which is why I am here able to write this!

The Northern Rising rebellion was just one of many during the 15^th century between the two royal houses of York and Lancaster that eventually became known as the War of Roses, which in turn inspired today’s novels and TV series “Game of Thrones.”

Andrew Van Vranken, Union University, p. 213-214, accessed from https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=XOMnAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&hl=en&pg=GBS.PA214.