Shooting at the Stars: the Christmas Truce of 1914 by John Hendrix
Abrams Books, 2014. ISBN 9781419711756
Amongst all the stories of horrors that have emerged from World War
1 and which have been at the forefront of much of what our students
have learned this year, comes a beautiful, true story of hope and
heroes.
By November 1914, it was clear that the war was not going to be over
by Christmas which was a common belief of those who marched off to
serve in those very early days. And so as seasons turn to winter and
snow and sleet and rain bring more mud and disease to the exhausted
troops in the trenches often only separated by a few yards from the
enemy, unofficial truces began to happen - part of the "etiquette of
war" of the professional soldier of the time. The wounded were
recovered, the dead were buried, trenches were shored up and there
was even banter and barter between the opposing sides. According to
the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zxsfyrd
on Christmas Eve the German's lines were dotted with Christmas trees
and candles and eventually the two sides started singing carols. The
next day there were spontaneous football games and while there was
much anger from the High Command because they feared mutiny, the
stories have endured.
Based on primary sources, Shooting at the Stars is the story
of Charlie, a young British soldier of the time written in a letter
to his mother and accompanied by the most evocative illustrations.
Rain has turned the trenches to thick, heavy mud and rats fight the
soldiers for the meagre food rations. However while thick frost
stabilises things on Christmas Eve it is also very cold so the
troops chance a fire to keep warm. As they step outside they hear
singing - from the German trenches which are festooned with tiny
Christmas trees lit with candles. And so begins the retelling of
this remarkable night when the true spirit of Christmas was
celebrated. War had taken a holiday. The dead were buried,
photographs taken, mementos exchanged, even an impromptu football
game with an old biscuit tin. And even though the high-ups are
furious and order the soldiers to load their rifles ready to fire on
those they had spent the day with, quite possibly they would shoot
at the stars.
Beautifully designed, this emotional story is accompanied by
historical notes, a glossary, an index and a bibliography making it
more for the older reader but also very accessible for those a
little younger. It shows a human side to a horrible conflict, one
that brings the soldiers of both sides into focus rather than just
being faceless, unknown and almost invisible. Some of the images are
available at http://www.abramsbooks.com/product/shooting-at-the-stars_9781419711756/
and combined with the subject, the text and the layout, the package
is a most powerful story.
Barbara Braxton