Archives for 2016

Christmas day, weather fine. High wind. Reported that enemy is moderately quiet along front. L/c T.J. White & I travel across country to the front line trenches clad in steel helmet and long thigh-boots, revolver, etc. in full view of the enemy. For over a mile we travel thus. If he wanted to he could have blown us to pieces. We pass many decomposed bodies lying all over the fields & in the trenches also rifles, ammunition & equipment.
We arrive at the front line trenches. After wallowing thro’ mud thigh deep we visit the craters. A man has just been wounded by Fritz & his bloodstained coat lay there as evidence others had been wounded earlier in the day. He had sent over two heavy minenwerfer shells.
About 8 to 9 am a white flag is seen and no man’s land is full of Germans. They were identified as Pomeranians. 16th, 23rd, 198th & another one. They desired to fraternize & some exchanged souvenirs. A message was sent then “they must either surrender or they would be shot at if they did not return to their trenches.” We visited the new crater named Patricia. After wishing the boys “all the best” we returned to Bde Hdqr & a good dinner of turkey and roast beef. The plum pudding had not arrived. During the whole day the enemy were pounding our trenches on the right & left of our Brigade area.

*Pomeranians – Pomerania is a small historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. The region joined the German Empire in 1871.