* * * * *

“I suppose I have experienced about the most extraordinary Christmas one could conceive.  About seven o’clock on Christmas Eve the Saxons, who are entrenched about seventy yards from our trenches, began singing.  They had a band playing, and our chaps cheered and shouted to them.  After some time they stood on the top of their trenches, and we did likewise.  We mutually agreed to cease fire, and all night we sang and shouted to each other.  To cap everything, their band played ‘God save the King.’

“When daylight came two of our fellows, at the invitation of the enemy, left the trenches, met half-way, and drank together.  That completed it.  They said they would not fire if we did not; so after that we strolled about talking to each other.”

* * * * *

“On Christmas morning it was very foggy, so we had a short run on the top of the trenches to get warm.  When the fog lifted we, as well as the Germans, were exposed.  No firing occurred, and the Germans began to wave umbrellas and rifles, and we answered.  They sang and we sang.  When we met we found they were fairly old fellows.  They gave us sausages, cigars, sweets, and perkin.  We mixed together, played mouth-organs, and took part in dances.  My word! the Germans can’t half sing part-songs.  We exchanged addresses and souvenirs, and when the time came we shook hands and saluted each other, returning to our trenches.”

* * * * *

“On Christmas morning one of the Germans came out of a trench and held up his hands.  Then lots of us did the same, and we met half-way, and for the rest of the day we fraternized, exchanging cigars, cigarettes, and souvenirs.  The Germans also gave us sausages, and we gave them some of our food.  The Scotsmen then started the bagpipes, and we had a rare old jollification, which included football, in which the Germans took part.  The Germans said they were tired of the war, and wished it was over.  Next day we got an order that all communication and friendly intercourse must cease.”

* * * * *

“I went up into the trenches on Christmas night.  One wouldn’t have thought there was a war going on.  All day our soldiers and the Germans were talking and singing half-way between the opposing trenches.  The space was filled with English and Germans handing one another cigars.  At night we sang carols.”

* * * * *

EXTRACT FROM A LETTER PUBLISHED BY THE “Berliner Tageblatt” OF DECEMBER 24, 1914.

The author of the letter is Baron Marschall von Bieberstein, a captain of the reserves and Prussian “Landrat,” obviously a kinsman of the late diplomatist and Ambassador in London.  He wrote on October 18 from the trenches.  He said:—­