UBARoyal Belgian Amateur Radio Union

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Photo: Couloir

WW1USA - WW1 Christmas truce

Date Until: 
31/01/2015
One-Hundred years ago, a great war was raging across Europe. Regardless of this conflict, a small miracle of peace occurred over the battlefield on Christmas Eve 1914. The Christmas truce (German: Weihnachtsfrieden; French: Trêve de Noël) was a series of widespread, unofficial ceasefires that took place along the Western Front around Christmas 1914, during World War I. Through the week leading up to Christmas, parties of German and British soldiers began to exchange seasonal greetings and songs between their trenches; on occasion, the tension was reduced to the point that individuals would walk across to talk to their opposite numbers bearing gifts. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, many soldiers from both sides—as well as, to a lesser degree, from French units—independently ventured into "no man's land", where they mingled, exchanging food and souvenirs. As well as joint burial ceremonies, several meetings ended in carol-singing. Troops from both sides were also friendly enough to play games of football with one another, in one of the truce's most enduring images.

Special Event Station WW1USA of the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial will be on the air at Kansas City, Missouri to commemorate this historic event. All Amateur Radio Operators from around the world are invited to participate in this Special Event by contacting WW1USA on the radio. Stations making contact with WW1USA during the Special Event can request a Contact Certificate through the ww1usa.org website, December 27, 2014, through January 30, 2015. A QSL Card can be obtained via mail by sending SASE or by providing other return postage. You can also obtain an Electronic QSL Card via eQSL.

For more details, please visit http://ww1usa.org.