A number of initiatives have been launched which have seen children design memorials, write poems and help record a version of UK pop act, The Farm's "All Together Now" song, which has been released across the UK. And I thought, well, this is really a most extraordinary thing ­– two nations both singing the same carol in the middle of a war.”. Others contend that the impact of the games has been overstated as we witness the Premier League and FA, among other organizations, commemorate the moment. To keep men fit and active and to maintain morale, sport was encouraged and in many cases officially sanctioned. "The event of the truce and fraternization over so much of the British sector of the line is what was so remarkable -- not the very few 'kick abouts'," she added. Plus, at least one letter suggests they could not actually find a football. German regimental histories written under Nazism do not mention the truce. The Christmas Truce has become one of the most famous and mythologised events of the First World War. Posters 3. That is corroborated evidence. They splash the cash on the world's best players, now Real Madrid are giving the Bernabeu the same treatment with a bling makeover. Here, Professor Mark Connelly from the University of Kent, and Taff Gillingham, a military historian who worked on a 1914 advert for supermarket Sainsbury's, share their verdicts…. updated 6:41 PM EDT, Mon October 13, 2014. Nobody uses military metaphors to eulogize Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, and nobody still likens the German team to Panzer tanks. Bobby Robson, England manager from 1982 to 1990, eulogized his captain Bryan Robson with imagery straight from the first World War: "You could put him in any trench and know he'd be the first over the top ... he wouldn't think well, Christ, if I put my head up there it might get shot off.". They continued to enjoy success until women were banned from playing in Football League grounds in 1921. There was no referee, and no score, no tally at all. In spite of this, I think it is a great tragedy that football is hijacking the Christmas truce – in reality, football played an insignificant role in the truce. "The ball appeared from somewhere, I don't know where, but it came from their side - it wasn't from our side that the ball came," he said. Write to Naina Bajekal at naina.bajekal@time.com. If you subscribe to BBC History Magazine Print or Digital Editions then you can unlock 10 years’ worth of archived history material fully searchable by Topic, Location, Period and Person. "Football was a popular sport at the time in Germany and Britain, and often played behind the lines when the men were at rest. They also laid wreaths at the Menin Gate, the memorial dedicated to the British and Commonwealth soldiers who died during battle. "We partnered with The Royal British Legion, in the 20th year of our relationship with them, to ensure we tell this story with authenticity and respect and to help raise awareness and additional funds for the important work they do.". "I think it highly likely that someone, somewhere did bring out a ball and a bit of a kick about took place, but that is a long, long way from saying it definitely happened and that it was anything like a formal match rather than just men tapping a ball about a bit," Connelly told CNN. In others, Germans held up signs reading “You no shoot, we no shoot.” Over the course of the day, troops exchanged gifts of cigarettes, food, buttons and hats. Mark Connelly, Professor of Modern British History at the Center for War, Propaganda and Society at the UK's University of Kent believes the entire episode has been romanticized in the intervening years. It is a tale which has inspired the Premier League's successful educational program as well as a Christmas television commercial for Sainsbury's, one of the UK's largest supermarkets. VIDEO: Watch highlights from British Army 1-0 German Army 'Game of Truce' @OfficialShots #FootballRemembers http://t.co/Xt8a3xI22G. 10 ways Christmas was celebrated during the First World War. Once part of Germany's largest Jewish sports club, now he's the first ISIS suspect to stand trial in a country left shocked by his alleged radicalization. The text on this poster is a direct appeal from the Secretary of the Football Association for ‘GOOD SPORTSMEN’ to ‘ENLIST NOW and help the other GOOD SPORTSMEN who are so bravely Fighting Britain's Battle against the world's enemy.’ Posters were also produced which appealed directly to supporters of specific clubs. Football helped officers and orderlies to keep fit, although the Camp Commandant often stopped or prevented these games taking place. "We all grew up with the story of soldiers from both sides putting down their arms on Christmas Day," says Prince William, president of the English Football Association. Graham Williams of the Fifth London Rifle Brigade described it in even greater detail: “First the Germans would sing one of their carols and then we would sing one of ours, until when we started up ‘O Come, All Ye Faithful’ the Germans immediately joined in singing the same hymn to the Latin words Adeste Fideles. "It's not about glorifying the horrors of war, far from it. "Being able to use the Christmas truce element of the First World War is really important. updated 9:10 AM EDT, Fri October 10, 2014. "A number of independent reports and sources exist that report on football being played between German and British soldiers during Christmas 1914. The truce was not observed everywhere along the Western Front. 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