Alfred Anderson, 109, Last Man From

[Brownian Motion]

The New York Times

November 22, 2005

Alfred Anderson, 109, Last Man From 'Christmas Truce' of 1914, Dies

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LONDON, Nov. 21 (AP) - Alfred Anderson, the last surviving soldier to have been present when the guns fell silent along the Western Front in the spontaneous "Christmas Truce" of World War I, died Monday in Newtyle, Scotland. He was 109.

He died in his sleep at his nursing home, said his parish priest, the Rev. Neil Gardner.

More than 80 years after the war, Mr. Anderson recalled the "eerie sound of silence" as shooting stopped and soldiers clambered from trenches to greet one another Dec. 25, 1914.

Born June 25, 1896, he was an 18-year-old soldier in the Black Watch regiment when British and German troops cautiously emerged from the trenches that Christmas Day in 1914. The enemies swapped cigarettes and tunic buttons, sang carols and even played soccer amid the mud, barbed wire and shell holes of no man's land.

The informal truce spread along much of the 500-mile Western Front, in some cases lasting for days - alarming army commanders who feared fraternization would sap the troops' will to fight. The next year vast battles of attrition began, which claimed 10 million lives, and the Christmas truce was never repeated.

"I remember the silence, the eerie sound of silence," Mr. Anderson told The Observer last year.

"All I'd heard for two months in the trenches was the hissing, cracking and whining of bullets in flight, machine-gun fire and distant German voices," said Mr. Anderson, who was billeted in a French farmhouse behind the front lines.

"But there was a dead silence that morning, right across the land as far as you could see," he said. "We shouted 'Merry Christmas,' even though nobody felt merry. The silence ended early in the afternoon and the killing started again. It was a short peace in a terrible war."

During the war, Mr. Anderson served briefly as a batman - or valet - to Capt. Fergus Bowes-Lyon, brother of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. Captain Bowes-Lyon was killed at the Battle of Loos in 1915.

Mr. Anderson fought in France until 1916, when he was wounded by shrapnel from a shell. In 1998, he was awarded France's Legion of Honor for his war service.

He is survived by 4 children, 10 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great-grandchildren.

[Brownian Motion]

The folk musician John McCutcheon wrote a wonderful song about this event.

Christmas in the Trenches by John McCutcheon

My name is Francis Tolliver, I come from Liverpool.

Two years ago the war was waiting for me after school.

To Belgium and to Flanders, to Germany to here

I fought for King and country I love dear.

'Twas Christmas in the trenches, where the frost so bitter hung,

The frozen fields of France were still, no Christmas song was sung

Our families back in England were toasting us that day

Their brave and glorious lads so far away.

I was lying with my messmate on the cold and rocky ground

When across the lines of battle came a most peculiar sound

Says I, "Now listen up, me boys!" each soldier strained to hear

As one young German voice sang out so clear.

"He's singing bloody well, you know!" my partner says to me

Soon, one by one, each German voice joined in harmony

The cannons rested silent, the gas clouds rolled no more

As Christmas brought us respite from the war

As soon as they were finished and a reverent pause was spent

"God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" struck up some lads from Kent

The next they sang was "Stille Nacht." "Tis 'Silent Night'," says I

And in two tongues one song filled up that sky

"There's someone coming toward us!" the front line sentry cried

All sights were fixed on one long figure trudging from their side

His truce flag, like a Christmas star, shown on that plain so bright

As he, bravely, strode unarmed into the night

Soon one by one on either side walked into No Man's Land

With neither gun nor bayonet we met there hand to hand

We shared some secret brandy and we wished each other well

And in a flare-lit soccer game we gave 'em hell

We traded chocolates, cigarettes, and photographs from home

These sons and fathers far away from families of their own

Young Sanders played his squeezebox and they had a violin

This curious and unlikely band of men

Soon daylight stole upon us and France was France once more

With sad farewells we each prepared to settle back to war

But the question haunted every heart that lived that wonderous night

"Whose family have I fixed within my sights?"

'Twas Christmas in the trenches where the frost, so bitter hung

The frozen fields of France were warmed as songs of peace were sung

For the walls they'd kept between us to exact the work of war

Had been crumbled and were gone forevermore

My name is Francis Tolliver, in Liverpool I dwell

Each Christmas come since World War I, I've learned its lessons well

That the ones who call the shots won't be among the dead and lame

And on each end of the rifle we're the same

© 1984 John McCutcheon -

[sheldonm]

...very interesting story; thank you for posting!

[sidewinder]

Alfred Anderson was featured on a BBC TV documentary only very recently and fortunately they interviewed him (and several other British survivors of the WW1 trenches - now down to single figures). With his death we are now within a whisker of losing the last living link to this monumental tragedy. A sobering thought, as for as long as I can remember the 'veterans' were a regular and visible presence in our society.

[Hardbopjazz]

I believe in the US, there's about 23 left from WWI as of November 11th 2005. The day for veterans in the US.