An artist’s impression of the 1914 Christmas Truce from The Illustrated London News
Today it is a pleasure to welcome my son, Lewis Connolly, to the blog. In commemoration of the centenary of the end of the First World War, Lewis has written a beautiful poem inspired by the 1914 Christmas truce.
France, Trenches, Christmas Day 1914
British and German soldiers mingling during the Christmas Truce, 1914
A soldier in the Great War, I am,
A soldier, destined to kill sons and fathers, I am.
A soldier who is one-in-a-million remembered, I am.
A soldier who committed the sin of killing, I am.
God help us all.
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My father once told me what it takes to be a good soldier.
One of the things he said was once a soldier saw his enemy as a human being,
He’s no longer a good soldier.
At Christmas, none of us were good soldiers.
God help us all.
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Soldiers in the Great War, we are.
Soldiers born to kill, we are.
‘Football Remembers’, memorial designed by Spencer Turner, at the National Memorial Arboretum
Soldiers who made a truce, we are.
Soldiers who found peace in war, we are.
God help us all.
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On the day of peace, Christmas 1914,
We found ourselves once more in this madness.
We traded, sported and talked,
Instead of letting the guns sing.
God help us all.
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I owe a great big ‘thank you’ to Lewisfor allowing me to publish his poignant poem.
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And I would like to take this opportunity thank all my readers for your wonderful support in 2018, and to wish you all a Merry Christmas; and love, happiness and peace for 2019.
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History... the interesting bits! 
That is a beautiful poem. Thank you for sharing.
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Great poem, Lewis! Thank you for letting us see it. A very Happy Christmas to all your family.
Regards, Sylvia xxxx
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