0116 10:06:41:14 10:06:44:00
..and something took place
which was unique
0117 10:06:44:00 10:06:46:05
in the annals of modern warfare,
0118 10:06:46:05 10:06:51:00
right here in 1914,
24th December, Christmas Eve.
0119 10:06:52:09 10:06:54:06
- Righto, Corp?
- All right, fine.
0120 10:06:54:06 10:06:56:14
Nothing going on, Sarge.
Nothing going on.
0121 10:06:56:14 10:06:58:19
Oh! Hold up!
Sarge, hang about, look.
0122 10:06:58:19 10:07:02:03
- What?
- Looks like a banner coming.
0123 10:07:02:03 10:07:06:01
- What's it say?
- It says, "Merry Christmas, Tommy."
0124 10:07:06:01 10:07:10:10
- Well, it's Christmas Eve.
- Merry Christmas!
0125 10:07:10:10 10:07:13:09
(Church) All of a sudden,
spontaneously, they heard singing
0126 10:07:13:09 10:07:15:24
coming from the German lines.
0127 10:07:15:24 10:07:19:16
Here, Sarge. It's one of them songs
they sing at Christmas.
0128 10:07:19:16 10:07:22:02
I've heard them sing it
in the old Mile End Road.
0129 10:07:22:02 10:07:24:22
At first it was just a row.
Just voices.
0130 10:07:24:22 10:07:28:04
And then one by one
they started to recognise the tune
0131 10:07:28:04 10:07:31:12
of a very famous German carol,
"Silent Night".
0132 10:07:31:12 10:07:34:11
- He sings better than you do.
- He's got a good voice.
0133 10:07:34:11 10:07:37:03
Everybody sings
better than me, Corp.
0134 10:07:37:03 10:07:39:24
(voice finishes)
0135 10:07:39:24 10:07:42:17
- Very nice! Well done!
- Well done, Jerry!
0136 10:07:42:17 10:07:44:15
Yeah, bloody good, mate!
0137 10:07:44:15 10:07:46:22
- (German) Sing, Tommy!
- (sergeant) Eh?
0138 10:07:46:22 10:07:48:04
- What's he say?
- Tommy!
0139 10:07:48:04 10:07:50:14
- What?
- Sing, Tommy!
0140 10:07:50:14 10:07:52:08
The Germans wanted us to sing.
0141 10:07:52:08 10:07:55:04
Of course the Brits aren't good
at singing proper songs,
0142 10:07:55:04 10:07:58:05
so they sung some of their bawdy
songs from the barrack rooms.
0143 10:07:58:05 10:08:00:19
The Germans didn't recognise that,
so they said,
0144 10:08:00:19 10:08:03:04
"English carols
is very beautiful, Tommy",
0145 10:08:03:04 10:08:05:17
not realising
that we were singing rude songs.
0146 10:08:05:17 10:08:09:18
# Men's hearts were full of gladness
and their bellies full of beer
0147 10:08:09:18 10:08:11:20
# When up stood Private Shorthouse
0148 10:08:11:20 10:08:13:22
# His face as bold as brass
0149 10:08:13:22 10:08:16:09
# Saying, "We don't want
your Christmas pudding"
0150 10:08:16:09 10:08:18:09
# "You can stick it up your..."
0151 10:08:18:09 10:08:22:21
# Tidings of comfort and joy,
comfort and joy
0152 10:08:22:21 10:08:26:02
# O tidings of comfort and...
0153 10:08:26:02 10:08:30:08
Here! Hold on, lads! Stand to!
0154 10:08:30:08 10:08:32:21
(Church) Think about
that first German who stood up.
0155 10:08:32:21 10:08:35:08
Christmas morning, he was
hoping beyond all hope
0156 10:08:35:08 10:08:38:01
that he could stand up
and not be shot at.
0157 10:08:38:01 10:08:41:04
Hold your fire, lads.
He's just standing there!
0158 10:08:41:04 10:08:44:03
- (German) Tommy!
- Yeah, what?
0159 10:08:44:03 10:08:46:06
- Christmas, ja?
- Bloody right, mate!
0160 10:08:46:06 10:08:49:22
- Christmas Eve!
- Understand? No gun, Tommy.
0161 10:08:49:22 10:08:51:23
All right, then.
He's coming!
0162 10:08:51:23 10:08:53:09
- Steady, boys!
- He's coming!
0163 10:08:53:09 10:08:56:12
This old Fritz is mad as a hatter!
Look at him!
0164 10:08:56:12 10:08:57:19
What's he doing?
0165 10:08:57:19 10:08:58:24
- Tommy!
- Yeah!
0166 10:08:58:24 10:09:01:11
- (German) Kommen Sie.
- Eh? No!
0167 10:09:01:11 10:09:03:02
- Kommen Sie!
- I don't think so.
0168 10:09:03:02 10:09:08:05
(German) I am one.
We must be two here, you understand?
0169 10:09:08:05 10:09:10:20
- Yeah, we understand.
- Please, Tommy. Kommen Sie.
0170 10:09:10:20 10:09:13:16
Brits went out, reluctantly,
hesitant, but they went out
0171 10:09:13:16 10:09:16:24
and they spoke to them.
And suddenly, there were hundreds...
0172 10:09:16:24 10:09:20:06
literally, hundreds of soldiers
in no-man's-land,
0173 10:09:20:06 10:09:23:01
shaking hands with each other,
exchanging presents.
0174 10:09:23:01 10:09:26:24
- Hello, Tommy.
- Hello, mate. What's your name?
0175 10:09:26:24 10:09:31:17
- Ah, yes. Maximilian Edisman.
- Max.
0176 10:09:31:17 10:09:33:17
- Yes, yes. Max.
- His name's Max, Sarge.
0177 10:09:33:17 10:09:35:23
- Your name, Tommy?
- Peter. Peter.
0178 10:09:35:23 10:09:37:17
- Drink, drink.
- Yeah?
0179 10:09:37:17 10:09:39:20
You like hot here?
Hot here, you like?
0180 10:09:39:20 10:09:42:09
Schnapps, Peter.
0181 10:09:43:17 10:09:46:05
- (coughs)
- (Max laughs)
0182 10:09:46:05 10:09:47:24
- Bloody hell!
- You like?
0183 10:09:47:24 10:09:50:20
Where'd you get this from?
Where'd you get it from?
0184 10:09:50:20 10:09:54:04
- Oh, the kaiser.
- Kaiser Bill?
0185 10:09:54:04 10:09:57:05
- The kaiser's schnapps.
- Bloody good, mate.
0186 10:09:57:05 10:09:58:24
Bottoms up!
0187 10:09:58:24 10:10:01:20
Here, I'll tell you what.
The queen sends us fags.
0188 10:10:01:20 10:10:03:17
They come last night
in a little tin.
0189 10:10:03:17 10:10:04:17
Zigaretten?
0190 10:10:04:17 10:10:07:22
- You have English Zigaretten?
- Yeah. Here you are.
0191 10:10:07:22 10:10:10:18
German Zigaretten, scheiße.
English cigarette...
0192 10:10:10:18 10:10:13:03
- These come from the queen.
- Danke schoen.
0193 10:10:20:04 10:10:22:05
- Good, Tommy.
- Yeah.
0194 10:10:22:05 10:10:25:07
Happy Christmas.
Happy Christmas.
0195 10:10:25:07 10:10:28:04
And then they all come over
to the students,
0196 10:10:28:04 10:10:30:09
and they are encouraged
to surround him
0197 10:10:30:09 10:10:34:03
and ask him questions about what it
was like to fight on the other side,
0198 10:10:34:03 10:10:37:03
because everything we do
is from the British perspective.
0199 10:10:37:03 10:10:40:08
It's great and the guy has
a full-on German accent
0200 10:10:40:08 10:10:43:01
and he's answering
all their questions
0201 10:10:43:01 10:10:46:19
and the students
really engage with him.
0202 10:10:46:19 10:10:49:18
They're fascinated by the fact
that he is a German soldier,
0203 10:10:49:18 10:10:51:10
and he's the enemy.
0204 10:10:52:01 10:10:53:19
Ah, your men?
0205 10:10:53:19 10:10:55:09
Long hair.
0206 10:10:55:09 10:10:58:19
(Martin) The only chance in your
lives to talk to a real live German
0207 10:10:58:19 10:11:01:02
and a real live British Tommy.
0208 10:11:01:02 10:11:05:21
They are small.
Bantam regiment, ja?
0209 10:11:05:21 10:11:09:03
- So where do you come from?
- Hayes.
0210 10:11:09:03 10:11:11:16
- Where?
- Hayes, Middlesex.
0211 10:11:11:16 10:11:13:00
Before London?
0212 10:11:13:00 10:11:15:05
- Near London?
- (boy) In London.
0213 10:11:15:05 10:11:17:04
(German) You know London?
I like London.
0214 10:11:17:04 10:11:19:06
- He lived in London.
- (German) Many years.
0215 10:11:19:06 10:11:22:05
But when I was 14 years I must come
to be a soldier in Germany.
0216 10:11:22:05 10:11:24:15
So my English not so good,
but, um..
0217 10:11:24:15 10:11:27:13
When in London I like
Piccadilly Circus,
0218 10:11:27:13 10:11:31:24
and I like because no one sleep,
you understand? Lights all night.
0219 10:11:31:24 10:11:34:11
You have questions for me?
0220 10:11:34:11 10:11:36:11
(boy) What's it like
living in the trench?
0221 10:11:36:11 10:11:38:11
Like? Um, scheiß.
0222 10:11:38:11 10:11:39:21
(kids laugh)
0223 10:11:39:21 10:11:42:05
Because no way to fight a war,
you understand?
0224 10:11:42:05 10:11:46:06
I am jaeger battalion. Jaeger is
fast, is light, is to fight quick.
0225 10:11:46:06 10:11:49:20
But here... is like a rat,
you understand?
0226 10:11:49:20 10:11:53:08
And we stay and you just stay.
0227 10:11:53:08 10:11:56:04
And you see nothing but, um...
0228 10:11:56:04 10:11:57:05
Mud.
0229 10:11:57:05 10:11:59:07
Mud, mud. You see nothing but mud.
0230 10:11:59:07 10:12:02:11
(boy) Are you not scared,
like, when a shell's gonna hit you?
0231 10:12:02:11 10:12:06:07
One is scared, yes, because...
0232 10:12:06:07 10:12:09:07
one moment you're alive,
one moment you're dead.
0233 10:12:09:07 10:12:12:11
But if you're dead, that is that.
0234 10:12:12:11 10:12:15:09
The artillery fire
on the trenches.
0235 10:12:15:09 10:12:19:24
What scare is to have...
0236 10:12:19:24 10:12:24:00
- To be alive, but to hurt.
- When you're wounded.
0237 10:12:24:00 10:12:26:09
That's scare.
To be dead, not scare.
0238 10:12:26:09 10:12:28:18
Weren't you scared when
you come out the trench?
0239 10:12:28:18 10:12:31:03
No, I was maybe a little drunk.
0240 10:12:31:03 10:12:34:21
(Church) And they suddenly realised
that they were the same -
0241 10:12:34:21 10:12:37:20
these two sets of men that had
been trying to shoot each other
0242 10:12:37:20 10:12:41:04
and attacking their trenches and
bayoneting and blowing people up.
0243 10:12:41:04 10:12:43:08
There was no difference
between them at all.
0244 10:12:43:08 10:12:45:08
Just that one side wore brown
0245 10:12:45:08 10:12:48:13
and the other side wore
a greeny-grey colour.
0246 10:12:48:13 10:12:51:15
And they agreed that they
wouldn't shoot each other again.
0247 10:12:51:15 10:12:53:10
Of course that wasn't gonna last.
0248 10:12:53:10 10:12:56:01
But that was
the spirit of the thing.
0249 10:12:56:01 10:12:58:09
So what can you learn from today?
0250 10:12:58:09 10:13:01:16
I think we have to take a message
home from an event like this -
0251 10:13:01:16 10:13:04:16
that even in the most
terrible of times,
0252 10:13:04:16 10:13:08:21
humanity can come through,
given the right circumstances.
0253 10:13:08:21 10:13:13:11
So, what I'd like you all to do is,
Christmas morning, when you wake up,
0254 10:13:13:11 10:13:16:20
assuming you go to bed the night
before, from what I've heard...
0255 10:13:16:20 10:13:18:22
But when you wake up
in your nice warm bed
0256 10:13:18:22 10:13:22:00
and you're under your duvet
in your central-heated house,
0257 10:13:22:00 10:13:25:19
with your double-glazing and
a massive great pile of parcels
0258 10:13:25:19 10:13:27:12
waiting for you to open,
0259 10:13:27:12 10:13:33:02
just spend 30 seconds for me
and think when you stood here today
0260 10:13:33:02 10:13:36:14
looking out across no-man's-land,
as it was in 1914,
0261 10:13:36:14 10:13:41:05
and just spare a thought for those
lads that were in these trenches.
0262 10:13:41:05 10:13:43:13
Then once you've done that,
forget all about it
0263 10:13:43:13 10:13:46:01
and just enjoy
a really super Christmas.
0264 10:13:46:01 10:13:48:08
# Bonsoir, old thing,
cheerio, chin-chin
0265 10:13:48:08 10:13:51:21
# Napoo, toodle-oo, goodbye-ee!
0266 10:13:55:01 10:13:57:00
Visiontext Subtitles: Barbara Lozano