Henry Williamson (3:21)

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Lindsey Graham (3:26)

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Henry Williamson (3:27)

With Amazon Music, you have access to the largest catalog of ad free top podcasts included with your prime membership. To start listening, download the Amazon Music app for free or go to Amazon.com ADFreePodcasts that's Amazon.com ADFreeP Podcasts to catch up on the latest episodes where without the ads from noiser and airship I'm Lindsey Graham and this is History. Daily history is made every day on this podcast. Every day we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world. Today is December 24, 1914. The Christmas Truce. It's before dawn on December 24, 1914, in a trench in Belgium not far from the city of Ypres. Henry Williamson, a 19 year old rifleman of the London Brigade's 1st Battalion, steps out from the British trenches onto the swath of frozen terrain that separates the British from their German enemies. The soldiers call it no man's land. Very early in the war, it became clear to both sides that they needed to dig deep into the earth to protect themselves from relentless gunfire. And for weeks, Williamson and his fellow soldiers have lived in these mud trenches, along with infestations of rats and lice. But today, Williamson and several others were given an order to leave the trenches and enter no Man's Land. They've been told to do some construction work. For reasons the high command won't divulge, the young soldiers must hammer some iron posts 18 inches into the frozen ground, just 50 yards away from the German guns. As Henry makes his way out into the open terrain, he is convinced that at any moment a German sniper will pick him off. Williamson has already witnessed friends of his get fatally shot for just looking over the top of the trench. Their decomposing bodies still lie unburied out here on the open terrain. As he gingerly steps over the corpses. Williamson is terrified. But he has no choice. If he refuses his order, he will be shot for insubordination. So he continues his journey out into the open field and recalls a line from a poem by Lord Alfred Tennyson. Theirs is not to make reply, theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do or die. But as they make their way to the construction site, the soldiers are relieved and a bit surprised that no shots are fired at them. They are even more surprised when they see Christmas trees and candles lining the German trenches. Williamson later learns that in Germany, families celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve as opposed to Christmas Day. As a result, a brief ceasefire is underway that, as far as Williamson is concerned, is a Christmas miracle. He and his fellow soldiers complete their task without a single shot being fired. Back in the trenches, as it closes in on 11pm, Williamson is astonished to hear the sound of carols drifting across no Man's Land. The songs are being sung in German, but Williamson recognizes the tune. It's the first Noel. So soon he and some other British soldiers sing the lyrics back to the Germans in English. At first, Williamson and the rest are being competitive, aiming to show the Germans that they have louder, more booming voices. But when the British finish their rendition, the German soldiers opposite them break into applause. Soon the air is filled with the sounds of carols in both languages. As both sides perform and then applaud in appreciation. Williamson can't help but smile. He feels this is the only pleasant thing that's happened to him since he first arrived in France. Then, as midnight draws near, the impromptu concert ends and the Germans start shouting something across the wasteland. Fruhe Weihnachten. Fruhe Weihnachten. Williamson doesn't speak German, but a fellow rifleman does. He tells Williamson that the soldiers are wishing them a Merry Christmas. Williamson and the rest of the British troops shout back their Christmas greetings. Happy Christmas. Happy Christmas. And then one of the German voices shouts back in English, Come over here, Tommy. Tommy is a nickname British privates call themselves. Williamson is surprised to hear the Germans using it, and he's even more surprised that the Germans are beckoning him to come and join them. Many of the British soldiers worry that this might be a trap. The Germans are trying to lure the British out into no Man's Land so they can cut them down. But Williamson doesn't think so. He figures that if they wanted to mow them down, they had ample opportunity when they were out working on the construction project. After an intense debate, one of Williamson's fellow soldiers shouts back their reply, using their nickname for the Germans. No, Fritz, you come over here. And then, for a few moments, silence. Gripped by curiosity, Williamson climbs the wooden steps of the trench wall. With a pair of binoculars in one hand, he surveys the candle lined German trenches and sees several gray uniformed soldiers making tentative steps out onto no Man's Land. As far as Williamson can tell, they're unarmed. But by now some British officers have emerged from a concrete bunker and are horrified to learn that German soldiers are advancing across no Man's Land. The British privates tell their superiors about the unofficial Christmas truce, the carols and the well wishes, but the officers believe this is a plot. The German soldiers want to get close to our lines, they believe, so they can report back about troop numbers and equipment. The officers order a group of low ranking soldiers to meet the Germans at the halfway point and block their path. And so, for the second time that day, Henry Williamson and his fellow privates step out into no Man's Land. This time they walk halfway across to the barbed wire fence that separates their side from the enemy and meet young men of their own age with whom they will shake hands, exchange gifts and celebrate Christmas Day Eve as friends.

Lindsey Graham (9:41)

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Henry Williamson (10:22)

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Henry Williamson (10:30)

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Lindsey Graham (10:41)

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Henry Williamson (11:57)

It's December 24, 1914, in no Man's Land near Ypres in Belgium. Along with many other brave men from his battalion, Henry Williamson walks across the frozen ground strewn with the corpses of young soldiers. Neither the British or the Germans have been able to collect their dead for some time. The soldiers feel sick to see the rotting bodies of their friends. But as Williamson and the rest approach the fence in the middle of no Man's Land, they notice empty tin cans hanging from the barbed wire originally placed there to rattle in case an enemy soldier attempted to cross in the night. But on this Christmas Eve, there is no subterfuge. A group of happy German soldiers have already stepped over the fence onto the British side. These smiling soldiers have come bearing gifts. One of them holds a bottle of rum and offers it to Williamson. Williamson, in turn, offers the German a brass tin of tobacco that he, like many other British soldiers, received in a ration box as a Christmas gift from the royal family. The soldiers shake hands and those without gifts to exchange remove the buttons from their coats and offer to swap them. There's laughter and conversation. Both sides complain about the lice, the rats, the lack of drainage in their muddy trenches, and, in whispered tones, their commanding officers. It occurs to many of the soldiers that they have more in common with their enemy than they do with many of their fellow countrymen who have never experienced the horrors of trench warfare. Soon the soldiers bid each other good night. But having enjoyed this chance to stretch their legs on solid ground, some of the officers in command decide that this short and spontaneous armistice should be extended into Christmas Day. When Williamson wakes the next morning. He discovers the sun is shining for the first time in weeks and sees that a beautiful white frost has settled upon the hard ground. As far as he can see, no man's land is full of soldiers. Half of them wear the khaki uniforms of the British, but the other half wear the gray uniforms of the Germans. He watches as they shake hands and drink schnapps and exchange more presents, like pipes and chocolate and plum puddings. He notices a few men exchanging names and addresses in order to correspond with each other after the war. The truce puts a temporary halt to the bloodshed in Ypres, but it also allows both sides to finally bury the bodies of their slain countrymen without fear of suffering the same deadly fate. As many soldiers socialize and stroll about, others, like Williamson quietly dig holes in the frozen ground and cover their fallen comrades with the earth. Williamson notices one German soldier fashioning a little wooden cross made from a matchbox. He writes a tiny inscription in pencil on the cross and then places it on a grave. Williamson asks what it means, and the German replies, here rests in God, an unknown hero. Williamson argues that God is surely on the British side of the conflict. When the German soldier disagrees, Williamson becomes agitated, insisting that Britain, not Germany, will ultimately be victorious. But the German soldier remains calm and smiles before replying, well, English comrade, do not let us quarrel on Christmas Day. Williamson smiles back. He agrees that this isn't the time for an argument. And soon a friendly game of soccer breaks out between the two sides. One of the soldiers has fashioned a ball out of a sandbag from one of the trench walls, tying it together with string. The British are aggressive and move the ball down the makeshift field quickly, but the Germans play a good defensive game and don't let them get too close to the goal. For both teams, it's good exercise and a wonderful break from spending their days knee deep in muddy trenches. But the truce is not confined to just Williamson's area near Ypres. All across the Western Front, the fighting stops long enough for soldiers to sing carols, exchange gifts and shake hands, where Harry Williamson is stationed. The Christmas truce will last four days for all soldiers. It will be a much welcomed reprieve from the hellish experience of the trenches. But the moment of peace cannot last forever. Soon, officers on both sides will learn of the Christmas truce and will order their men back to the trenches and to prepare for attack.

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Henry Williamson (17:54)

Wondery It's December 27, 1914 in Ypres, four days after the Christmas truce began. Once again, Henry Williamson wakes up to find German and British soldiers mingling, waving and chatting with each other across no Man's Land, as if the area is now a public park rather than a battlefield. But soon this moment of peace comes to an end when orders come down from British High Command. The armistice is over. The soldiers must resume combat. Minutes after the order arrives, the Germans opposite Williamson's trench send over a Their commanding officers have given identical orders. As a courtesy, the Germans let the British know that they will resume firing their guns at 11 o'clock that night. The gift exchanges and soccer matches come to an end as soldiers on both sides return to the shelter of the seven foot trenches they have dug into the earth. The war resumes, and as the bodies pile up, the hatred between the warring soldiers intensifies. The Christmas truce is not repeated. On the following Christmas Eve, British commanding officers order machine gun fire to drown out the the sounds of any carols being heard from the opposite trench. Still, the truce had a profound effect on many of the men who witnessed it. One German officer recalled how marvelously wonderful, yet how strange it was. The English officers felt the same way about it. Christmas, the celebration of love, managed to bring mortal enemies together as friends. Young men who had been encouraged to see their enemy soldiers as inhuman targets to be picked off from a distance found themselves able to cross no man's land and celebrate one of the most unique Christmases in history on December 24, 1914.

Lindsey Graham (19:48)

Next on History Daily December 25, 1941.

Henry Williamson (19:52)

On his weekly radio show, Bing Crosby.

Lindsey Graham (19:55)

Premieres one of the most famous songs.

Henry Williamson (19:56)

Of all time, White Christmas from Noiser and Airship. This is History Daily hosted, edited and executive produced by me, Lindsey Graham Audio editing by Molly Bach Music and sound design by Lindsey Graham. This episode is written and researched by James Benmore. Executive producers are Steven Walters for Airship and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.

James Benmore (20:32)

They say Hollywood is where dreams are made, a seductive city where many flock to get rich, be adored and capture America's heart. But when the spotlight turns off, fame, fortune and lives can disappear in an instant. When TV producer Roy Radin was found dead in a Canyon near LA in 1983, there were many questions surrounding his death. The last person seen with him was Lainey Jacobs, a seductive cocaine dealer who desperately wanted to be part of the Hollywood elite. Together, they were trying to break into the movie industry. But things took a dark turn when a million dollars worth of cocaine and cash went missing. From Wondery comes a new season of the hit show Hollywood and Crime, the Cotton Club Murder. Follow Hollywood and Crime the Cotton Club Murder on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of the Cotton Club Murder early and ad free right now by joining Wondery Plus.