Background Information

Playing the Game

At different points along the Western Front, No Man's Land witnessed the strange spectacle of impromptu soccer games between the opposing sides. Where they didn't have a real football they improvised with a sandbag or tin can, caps serving as goalposts. One Royal Welsh Fusilier later recalled, 'It was not a game as such – more of a kick-around and a free-for-all. There could have been fifty on each side for all I know. I played because I really liked football. I don't know how long it lasted, probably half-an-hour, and no one was keeping score.' In early January 1915, 'The Times' newspaper in London did report the score of one particular game played near Armentières. A German officer's account of this unique European tie against Scotland's Seaforth Highlanders was recorded in the regimental records of the 133rd Royal Saxon Regiment:

'A Scottish soldier appeared with a football which seemed to come from nowhere and a few minutes later a real football match got underway. The Scots marked their goalmouth with their strange caps and we did the same with ours. It was far from easy to play on the frozen ground, but we continued, keeping rigorously to the rules, despite the fact that it

only lasted an hour and that we had no referee. A great many of the passes went wide, but all the amateur footballers, although they must have been very tired, played with huge enthusiasm. Us Germans really roared when a gust of wind revealed that the Scots wore no drawers under their kilts – and hooted and whistled every time they caught an impudent glimpse of one posterior belonging to one of yesterday's enemies. But after an hour's play, when our Commanding Officer heard about it, he sent an order that we must put a stop to it. A little later we drifted back to our trenches and the fraternisation ended. The game finished with a score of three goals to two in favour of Fritz against Tommy.'