Al Capone’s bullet proof car and my great-uncle

One of my favourite historical resources is the British Pathé film archive – a digital collection of old newsreels and film. Fully searchable, this archive is rich in its coverage of world and British events from the earliest days of film newsreels. I have often used its archives on my own blog, Essex Voices Past, to research my local history posts. For example, to illustrate posts about the Essex town of Great Dunmow and the Dunmow Flitch; and the nearby Felsted Sugar Beet Factory (the latter being one of the most searched terms on Google leading people to my blog!). The archive also has some fantastic footage from the newsreels of the Great War.

Although this archive has been well-known to me for some years, it was with some shock when I recently discovered that my (half) great-uncle, Harry Elmo LaBreque, had been captured by British newsreels in the gangster Al Capone’s bullet-proof car. Harry rolled into England inside Capone’s car shortly after the gangster had been imprisoned in America for tax evasion. The link below is to the film account of my great-uncle bringing Al Capone’s gangster car to England and Southend (Essex) in 1933. I have been led to believe that my grandfather (Harry’s half-brother), then a young man in his 20s, was also present in Southend – but I haven’t managed to spot him in the film footage.

Al Capone's Car outside the Kursaal in Southend, Essex, 1933
Click on the image to be taken to
British Pathé newsreel of the car's visit to Southend
© British Pathé

Harry was quite a man – born near Boston, America, in 1885 to a Welsh mother (my great-grandmother, Mary Anne Hopkins but known as "Minnie") and a French-Canadian father – he was a “showman of yester-year” (to quote his own words).  A showman and pioneer in the very early days of Hollywood, in 1955-56, Harry typed out his memoirs on a typewriter.  They were “jotted down while convalsesceing [sic] from a ‘stroke’ that hit me two years ago, paralyzing my right side, I am typeing [sic] my memories, useing [sic] one finger on my left hand, with my little portable on my lap while in a wheel chair”. On his death, these memoirs (approximately 80 typed pages) were passed to his sister, Edith, who then gave them to me back in the early 1980s, when I first started my genealogical researches.

Al Capone's bullet proof car

The Kursaal's re-enactments of  Al Capone's shoot-outs

The following is an extract from his memoirs about Al Capone’s car. The spelling and punctuation are all his – not bad if you consider he typed this one-fingered after his stroke partially paralyzed him. Quite a few family-history facts in the rest of his memoirs are incorrect.  For example, he said his mother was an only child, and so didn't recount that she had two older brothers.  But that can be attributed to "selective memory" as one brother disowned her, and the other brother's step-son married her(! yes you read that correctly). So some of his stories about his family have to be taken with a pinch of salt - and he was writing in his twilight years recalling a very exciting life - years after the events he described. But the British Pathé newsreel certainly confirms that family legend was correct – he did appear at the Kursaal in Southend with Al Capone’s car! And, whilst researching this post, I discovered that the vast majority of his accounts certainly tied up with documented primary source evidence such as the newsreels and newspaper articles.

When you read his account, remember that the events he is describing took place during the height of America’s bloody gangster warfare during the Prohibition and Harry was in Chicago shortly after its bloodiest battles, the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre, collecting Capone's car.

Al Capone (1899-1947)

Al Capone's police mug shot

“Al Capone, Gangster Car 

About this time [early 1930s] I received advance notices regarding the showing of the movie “Scarface” on Al Capone, the notorious Chicago gangster. I then read in American news-papers, which I received every week [at this point, Harry was in England visiting his family and exhibiting in London's Olympia a stuffed whale mounted on a car] that the government was going to sell at auction several Capone beer trucks and his personal automobile. His auto had been made over with inch plate glass, armored body, etc., the sale was to satisfy in part, back income tax owed the government. (Capone was serving time in Atlanta). A Chicago auto dealer bought the car. But, after purchasing this “Armored Brougham”, he found out that it was unlawful to operate an armored car and he had it in his showroom. The news item gave me an idea and I mentioned same to Mr Morehouse [Harry’s British manager and owner of the the Kursaal Amusement Park in Southend, Essex]. I sold him my idea of getting the car and putting it on exhibition at the park. So, I wired a friend, Clifton Kelly, who was in Chicago, to find out if the car could be bought and the price. His reply was not satisfactory, so I decided to go to Chicago myself. Mr. Morehouse agreed and I phoned right away for return passage on one of the U.S. Line ships. In fact, I left London the next day, with credit credientials. In the meantimes, I cabled the “Billboard” to place an ad that I was interested in anything pertaining to gangland. I arrived O.K. in New York, picked up several answer at the New York Billboard office and proceeded to Washington, D.C. to look over a gang-stye show on Johnny J. Jones Midway. It did not impress me and I started to Chicago. 

Stopped off that night in Baltimore and visited at McCranees Museum. I bought a lot of framed pictures of early day desperadoes, such as the James boys, the Dalton gang, etc. I arrived in Chicago next morning, when direct to the auto dealers’ place, and got the car at a price. Arrangements were made with the R.R. [train] to ship it in a baggage car. Had the railroad and the customs men at lunch at the Sherman Hotel, while waiting on the auto dealer to bring the car to a parking lot at Lake and LaSalle, back of the Hotel Sherman. 

During our lunch, Lieutenant John Tracy and his bomb squad were attracted to the car.. and delayed themselves around the parking lot awaiting the return of the owners, who they were sure were gangsters. After an hours wait, three men got into the car. Tracy didn’t recognize them as hoodlums, but nevertheless took us and the car to the Decetive Bureau. I told them who I was, why the car was there, and that I had just purchased the car. With me were the customs man, and a Mr. Joseph R. Lyons, and the car dealer, Patrick Moore. After two or three hours, they let us go, but not until they wired the New York police to escort me and the car through the docks where I had made arrangements to put the car in the ship “American Trader”.  [There is an English newspaper account - reprinted at the end of this post - confirming that this account was true - 2 Englishmen with Al Capone's car were arrested in Chicago on suspicion of being gangsters.]

The New York papers run good stories & pictures.. which I have copies in my scrap book [Harry refers to his scrap book throughout his memoirs, unfortunately it hasn’t survived]. 

Note: I checked the factory number with the Chicago police and have papers that it was the Al Capone car. This makes it documentary. [Unfortunately Harry's papers confirming the authenticity of the car haven't survived.]

During the afternoon after this happened, I got busy buying second hand Chicago police uniforms, badges, lots of newspapers from their files showing Capone’s picture with his prison no. 40886, some showing the “Valentine’s massacre”, and a dozen others with newspaper write-ups. Tried to buy a sawed-off shotgun and a machine gun, but the authorities would not let me take them out of the country. On the return trip I wrote a book (have a copy in my scrapbook, also lots of news items of this episode.) The book was sold at the exhibition.

After I had squared myself with the Chicago police and had the car released, it was just time to take it to the R.R. depot [rail-road - i.e. train station] and load it through the end door of the baggage car. A police sergeant stayed right to the last. to be sure that I was going to ship the bullet-proof armored car out of the country. This I had assured the bureau I was doing. So they gave me the keys of the car and it was on its way by fast freight to the docks. It was supper time by now and I returned to the Hotel Sherman. After eating I took in the World Fair. That was just opening and enjoyed in very much. [The date of Chicago World Fair (A Century of Progress International Exposition) collaborates Harry’s account that he purchased the car in May 1933 - the Fair took place between May and November 1933.] Returned about 12 in time to catch the Bull-Edition of the papers as I was sure they would play up my pinch. I asked for my key at the desk and the clerk whispered that two characters of questionable appearance had been asking if I were around. I then had a talk with “Casey” the hotel “dick”, and he said it had been rumoured, through the grapevine, that I was carrying a large sum of money on me and I was to be “high-jacked”. 

Well my itinerary called for leaving in the morning but brother I lost no time in getting to the station, and on the first train. To be sure, after reading the headlines in the papers, I stopped off at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Then later that day, went on to New York. The authorities had removed the two-way radio from the car, saying it was unlawful. I had a day in New York, so bought a new one and installed it at the docks, also two new bullet-proof tires. (They had them in stock for trucks) I left my experiences back of me and steamed out of the harbor for jolly old England with my “prize”. By the way, the New York papers played it up fine, with 3 and 4 column pictures, etc. (have copies in my scrapbook) This publicity I could not have bought for thousands of dollars. The London Dailies ran the news the same time it was released in America, what a break! 

Note: The only other armored bullet-proof glass, automobile known at that time was used by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. [In the last few years, there has been much confusion on social media that Capone's and Roosevelt's car was one and the same car. They were not: Harry's memoirs confirms that they were two totally separate bullet-proof cars - one for the President and one for a gangster.]

I arrived in London after spending only 8 days in the States, some hurry-up trip. Mr. Morehouse arranged a great exploit stunt in presenting the car to the English public. It had already received some wonderful newspaper stories owing to the purchase and pinch in Chicago etc. He used his big ballroom at Kursal [The Kursaal, a purpose-built amusement park in Southend, Essex] to show off the car with a luncheon for the press and officials and a demonstration with the car on the highway [it is possibly this demonstration which was captured by the newsreels and then saved by the British Pathé’s film archive (see first image on this post)]. Mr Morehouse did things in a big way, he sent out special engraved invitations to the review and had a novelty menu printed using gangland phrases. I placed the car in the center of the ballroom and surrounded it with the outlaw pictures I had bought in Baltimore. It was a tremendous success, go the exhibition off to a great start when it opened. 

Note: I almost lost the opening at the Kursall, as they had a Fire will give an acct of this in my “ODDITIES” [an appendix to Harry's memoirs]. 

Before opening at the Kursal, I wrote a book with plenty of pictures on Capone which we sold to the public. It was interesting to note that the “showgoing” people bought this book. I used local Englishmen for the cops, and lectures, dressed them up in the uniforms I bought in Chicago. In the lobby I placed the gangland pictures that I bought in Baltimore. The entrance front was made up in a prison effect. 

That fall after the park closed, I showed the car at several fairs.. throughout England. [I believe my grandfather accompanied Harry (his half-brother)] on these trips.] It was a big hit. After this tour, Mr. Morehouse kept the car for his own use, although he bought Packard each year.  I always enjoyed trips with Mr. Morehouse in his cruiser.  We made trips to Southern France, etc.  He was the Commodore at the Yatch [sic] Club. 

[At this point in his memoirs, Harry returns his thoughts to his trip to Chicago to purchase Al Capone’s car.] Note: You talk about a fast trip and transaction, just read this: Mr. More house did things right now. He phoned for boat reservations on the U.S. Ship Banker sailing on Monday. Tuesday I was on the boat on my way to New York, arrived the following Monday. Had sent a cable to the Billboard, advertising for a gangster’s car, and gangland stuff. When I arrived, gathered up my mail. One read that a car was on the Johnny J. Jones shows, playing at Washington D.C. I took the first train, but I did not like the outfit, so that night I went to Baltimore, Maryland and some pictures etc. from the museum. Then on to Chicago, made the deal [to purchase Capone’s car], back to New York, sailed on the U.S. American Trader on May 9 and opened at the Kursal May 26 [1933]. How’s that for a quickie?

Note: Before leaving to get the [Capone] car, I had made arrangements with Mr. Morehouse to use his “Whirl-Pool” ride and building to show the car in a turn-stile fashion. When the “American Trader” ship captain got the mail and newspapers, right on the first page of the London papers was “Kursal Burns”! You could have knocked me down with a feather. However, a cable also was given me from Mr. More house stating that the fire had destroyed only some concession buildings and the “Whirlpool” building and further that he was erecting another building for the “car”. 

Notes: Although I visited a great deal at my mothers [my great-grandmother, who by this time was living in genteel middle-class poverty on the Cromwell Road, Kensington] while in London, I stayed near the center of things at the “Regent Palace” Hotel [Piccadilly]. “Jesse Crawford”, the organist, was playing at one of the leading movie houses. We had a nice visit. The way I managed to stay so long in England was through arrangements with the “home” office in London, registered and reported to the police every few weeks, and just as long as I employed English help… they extended my stay. [Harry, his sister and my grandfather were all American-born but their mother was Welsh/British.] At South-end [Southend, Essex] I had “Digs” that is what they call rooms.

I asked Mr. Morehouse about a trip back to America after the season, and he was very agreeable. So at the close of the Kursal, I booked passage to New York for Vera [his third wife] and myself. After a week or so we proceeded to Cincinnati, Ohio to visit pals at the Billboard, then went to Memphis for the holidays. Just about Christmas I received a cable from South-end, England that Mr. Morehouse had died very suddenly. Naturally I was shocked. After several days, I learned that owing to complications regarding his estate, they were closing his business."

At this point, Harry continues his memoirs about other “adventures” in America. As far as I am aware, David DeForrest Morehouse's death on 21 November 1935 brought Harry’s business exploits in England to an end.  There is no note in Harry's memoirs as to what happened to Al Capone's car after Morehouse's death.  Indeed, it is unclear if the car even belonged to Harry, or whether the credit credentials referred to in his memoirs meant that his manager, Morehouse, had financed the car's purchase.

Harry probably returned to England privately throughout the late 1930s to visit his mother  - possibly right up until the start of the Second World War (Minnie died in the early 1940s). His sister, Edith, who gave me these memoirs, died fairly recently aged over 100. My grandfather, his half-brother, died in 1966. Harry died in 1967.  I never met him - in fact, from this side of my family, I only knew his sister Edith.

My great-uncle - Harry Elmo LaBreque
Standing outside Al Capone's car - the Kursaal, Southend, Essex 1933
© British Pathé

Edwardian view of Kursaal Amusement Park in Southend, Essex

Lancashire Evening Post - Tuesday 09 May 1933
This newspaper article confirms Harry's account of Chicago police's interest in his activities
Image created courtesy of The British Library Board.

Alton Evening Telegraph Illinois - 9 May 1933
An Illinois's newspaper account - a similar account was published throughout America in state newspapers - all recounting that the car was to go on show in England. As this newspaper report totally ties in with Harry's memoirs, it's likely that one of the newspaper reports was in Harry's missing scrapbook, and he used it in the 1950s to write his account of purchasing the car.  It is somewhat amusing (and unwitting testimony) that despite Harry's American accent (and citizenship!), he appeared to have implied he was British by giving the Chicago police the London address of his British mother!

Yorkshire Evening Post - Saturday 20 May 1933
One local newspaper's excited account of the car
Image created courtesy of The British Library Board.

Nottingham Evening Post - Tuesday 03 October 1933
Although not mentioned by name in this article, Harry's hand at the 1933 Nottingham's Goose Fair can be seen throughout this article.  He spent his early formative years in the 1880s and 1890s working with his parents in American "freak shows", sideshows, circuses, and Wild West shows
Image created courtesy of The British Library Board.

Hartlepool Mail - Tuesday 17 July 1934
Not everyone approved of Harry's showmanship!
Image created courtesy of The British Library Board.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

One day I will publish Harry’s full autobiography as it is fascinating document. It includes the story of him being involved with Col. Frederick T. Cummins and Buffalo Bill's Wild West shows, also the tale of Harry being the first ever manager of the famous Grauman's Chinese Theater in Los Angeles (when it was known as Grauman’s Million Dollar Theater), and his second marriage to a minor Hollywood starlet (Miss Millie Marlowe); and also the tale of him bringing from America an extremely large stuffed whale to London’s Olympia via the eastend’s Royal Docks.

Equally fascinating (and partially recounted by Harry in his memoirs) is the story of his mother, my great-grandmother, Mary Anne Hopkins. She ran away from a perfectly respectable Welsh family living in Cardiff and became a show-girl touring throughout America performing with her husband (Harry's father) a magical illusion called "Thauma" in the likes of Austin and Stone's Dime Museum in Boston; the Eden Musee in New York; and also Madison Square Gardens in New York (the latter was the venue of the famous P. T Barnum). After many of her own adventures, she returned permanently to Wales in 1912 arriving back on British soil on 9th April 1912. Family legend has it that she sent back letters to family and friends in America via The Titanic but her letters all went down with the ship.

Her story will also have to wait for another day!

Harry Elmo LaBreque's memoirs of life as a showman of yesteryear

You may be interested in the following: 
- Newpaper report from 2012 reporting the sale of Al Capone’s car 
- Blog about the 2012 auction of Al Capone's car
- RM Auctions sale of Al Capone's car in 2012 - including the provenance of the car
- Photo from the New York Daily News May (1933) showing the car being loaded onto the ship

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

I look forward to sharing with you more of my discoveries over the coming months - see you next time on this blog on 18th March 2015. In the meantime, you can catch me on my blog Essex Voices Past or on twitter @EssexVoicesPast.

You may also be interested in my previous posts on this blog
- December 2014: Christmas Truce 1914
- November 2014: Men (and women) of courage
- October 2014: Writing local history
- September 2014: Hidden from history - the scandalous Redit women of Suffolk
- April 2014: Happy Easter 1916?
- March 2014: Who do you think they were?
- February 2014: Family History Show and Tell
- January 2014: Family history is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're gonna get


 © Essex Voices Past

Christmas Truce 1914

This year is the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War.  It is also the centenary of a remarkable sequences of events which occurred in small pockets all along the Western Front over several days, now known to history as the Christmas Day Truce of 1914.

During recent weeks, in Britain, there has been heated debates across social media about a 2014 Christmas advert which is a reenactment of this famous truce.  The general consensus appears to be that the advert itself has been well acted and well staged.  However, it is of great discomfort to many people (myself included) because the reenactment is an advert.  And an advert for one of Britain's largest grocery shops, and so is distasteful because of its blatant commercialisation of a tragic event.  With the advert playing virtually every day in Britain since mid-November, it prompted me to do my own research on the Christmas Day Truce to determine what had actually happened.  Thus was the background to my post today - to discover the truth behind the Christmas Day Truce.

My primary sources are the many local and national British newspapers digitally preserved and kept by the excellent archive, British Newspaper Archive.  Rather then retell the story in my words, I thought it best if you read the newspapers of the time to see what had actually occurred throughout December 1914.  As there are so many newspaper cuttings in my post, I haven't transcribed them.  The quality of some of the print is poor, but I do recommend that you persevere with reading them, as this is a remarkable story.  Use your computer's controls to zoom into each article.

So that you can make up your own mind about the events, I have only written a brief commentary on the newspaper articles.  Whilst you read each article, remember that these were contemporary reports written at the very height of the "war to end all wars" so you have to use your own intellect to determine the unwitting testimony, hidden meanings, and motivation behind each newspaper's report.

Pope Benedict XV tries to secure 12-hour Christmas truce

In early December 1914, Pope Benedict XV tried to secure a 12-hour Christmas truce on all sides. Throughout the length and breadth of Britain, newspapers reported his attempts - below are two of the many reports - one from Scotland, and the other from England.

Aberdeen Journal - Wednesday 09 December 1914

Western Mail - Wednesday 09 December 1914

By the 11th December, newspapers were reporting that Germany was willing to have a truce. America, at that stage not at war with anyone, tried to introduce a resolution into the Senate that the truce should be 20 days (I wonder how on earth Senator Kenyon could possibly think that a truce could last 20 days!!).  The reports of a Christmas truce during the Franco-Prussian War of the 1870s was also reported.

Birmingham Daily Mail - Friday 11 December 1914

Birmingham Daily Mail - Friday 11 December 1914

Failure of the Pope's truce
However, by the 12th, the Pope's attempt had failed.

Birmingham Daily Post - Saturday 12 December 1914

Sunday Post - Sunday 13 December 1914

Exeter and Plymouth Gazette - Monday 14 December 1914

Of the many newspaper reports I read from these few days in December, none directly confronted Russia for opposing the truce. But only one newspaper mentioned (the glaringly obvious) reason why Russia had declined - and even then, that report wasn't printed until days after the original articles about a potential truce.  The absence of the reason for Russia's refusal in the majority reports shows unwitting testimony that the allies didn't always see eye-to-eye on matters of the war.  Also notable is the fact that I could not find a single newspaper report which stated Britain's view on the Pope's truce. From looking at just newspaper reports alone, it is very hard to determine Britain's stance - maybe the British government did have a firm view, but the newspapers were ordered not to print it.  Or maybe, the government (once again) refused to declare one way or another - a repeat of their failure to commit in June/July 1914 following the assassination in Sarajevo.

Birmingham Gazette - Monday 21 December 1914

Christmas Day reports from the trenches
The Pope's attempts to hold a truce proved to be a failure and the war rolled on.  Christmas Day 1914 was on a Friday - despite the bank holidays on Christmas Day and Boxing Day being on a Saturday, newspapers still continued to be printed and rolled off their presses to be read by an eager nation.

The newspapers on Christmas Day and Boxing Day all reported... Well, nothing.  Apart from the duplicity of the Germans.

Western Gazette - Friday 25 December 1914

At this early stage, news of any truce in the trenches had not filtered back to Britain. Instead, even on 26th December, newspapers were still lamenting the failure of the Pope's attempt to secure a truce after he addressed his Cardinals in Rome on Christmas Eve.  On Monday 28th December, newspapers were reporting that there had been a hard frost and a winter's mist on Christmas morning but hostilities continued.  Many of these early reports of Christmas Day in the trenches read much the same as below's report:

Nottingham Evening Post - Monday 28 December 1914

The first reports of the truce filter through
However, by Wednesday 30th December, soldiers' letters had started to be received at home by their loved ones.  Many of these letters were sent to the soldier's local newspapers and then filtered through to other local and national newspapers.  The story of the Christmas Day Truce had finally reached Britain.

Hull Daily Mail - Wednesday 30 December 1914

Birmingham Daily Mail - Thursday 31 December 1914

Birmingham Daily Mail - Thursday 31 December 1914

Birmingham Gazette - Thursday 31 December 1914

Birmingham Gazette - Thursday 31 December 1914

Derby Daily Telegraph - Thursday 31 December 1914

Southern Reporter - Thursday 31 December 1914

Liverpool Daily Post - Thursday 31 December 1914

Aberdeen Journal - Friday 01 January 1915

Nottingham Evening Post - Saturday 02 January 1915

Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette - Saturday 02 January 1915

Yorkshire Evening Post - Saturday 02 January 1915

Gloucester Journal - Saturday 02 January 1915

Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser - Monday 04 January 1915

Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser - Monday 04 January 1915-Part 1

Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser - Monday 04 January 1915-Part 2

Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser - Monday 04 January 1915-Part 3

Daily Record - Tuesday 05 January 1915

Western Front Casualties Christmas 1914
The Christmas Truce was a remarkable event of the First World.  Even though the Pope was not successful in arranging a formal truce, the soldiers themselves achieved what generals, politicians and religious leaders could not. The varying stories in different newspapers shows that this was not a uniform truce with a set beginning and a set end.  Rather, each sector of the Western Front had their own version of the truce - some only allowing the burial of the dead on Christmas morning before hostilities recommenced, whilst other sectors held their truce throughout the entire festive period.

But did the Christmas Truce work?  Did it stop some of the carnage on the Western Front?

There is one way that the success of the Christmas Truce can be quantified with hard data - the number of casualties on the Western Front during Christmas 1914. Using the excellent Commonwealth War Grave Commission's website, I interrogated the number of United Kingdom casualties each day for Belgium and France during the later part of December 1914 and early January 1915.  The graph below clearly shows a dip in casualties over the Christmas period.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission data makes no distinction between whether a man was killed in action, or if he had died of his wounds days after injury.  Therefore it cannot be determined how many of the 50 deaths in France and 22 in Belgium on Christmas Day happened because of direct actions on that day, or if the men had died of wounds received days earlier.  Local newspapers in Britain did report news of deaths on Christmas day - such as the report below.

Gloucester Journal - Saturday 09 January 1915

The peak of casualties before Christmas can be attributed to the Battle of Givenchy which had raged between 18-22 December. This accounts for the massive number of dead in the pre-Christmas period. Indeed, some Great War commentators have remarked that the Christmas Truce had to happen so that the dead from this battle could be buried, as many of the men had died in no-man's-land and water-filled craters.  Their bodies, by that stage, decaying in a terrible state in between the front lines.

Aftermath - Christmas 1915
Throughout the beginning part of January 1915, British newspapers recounted many tales from soldiers who had taken part in the Christmas truce.  By mid January, the newspapers were terming it "the unofficial truce" and by late January "the famous Christmas truce".  As the war rolled on, the Christmas Truce passed into legend and little mention was made of it in newspapers from late February onwards.  By 29th November 1915, the newspapers started to report that Pope Benedict XV was, once again, trying to arrange Christmas Truce.  But this time, he had narrowed his scope, and the truce was to be between "Catholic orthodox countries". The Pope's previous year's attempt at world peace between all the various religions of the combatant nations had obviously proved to be insurmountable. However, this too failed and newspapers seem to have simply stopped reporting the Pope's truce by early December 1915.

A few days before Christmas 1915, some newspapers started to question if there would be another truce for that Christmas.  But the mood of Britain had changed: 1915 had brought the sinking of the passenger ship the Lusitania, killing 1,195 passengers - many of whom were women and children; along with the execution of nurse Edith Cavell.  The newspaper report below sums up the mood:

Edinburgh Evening News - Tuesday 21 December 1915

Other newspapers were more explicit in stating that there would be no truce

Dundee Courier - Thursday 23 December 1915

Derby Daily Telegraph - Friday 24 December 1915

In 1915, there was no Christmas truce and the war rolled on to the bitter end with no further truces...

Or did it?

Christmas Truce 1916
In my research for writing this post, it occurred to be that a couple of years ago I had purchased from that well known internet auction site a Christmas postcard from 1916.  When I bought it, I was intrigued by its message as it implied that something strange had happened in the trenches in 1916. Was there a truce in 1916?  I could not find anything in the British Newspaper Archive which states that there was one. But maybe there was one.

France 25 December 1916:
The flag we are willing to sacrifice our lives for in order that they may continue to float over free peoples.  What a tale I will have to tell you all of later of a Xmas day in the trenches.
Fred

I wonder what remarkable tale of Christmas 1916 in the trenches Fred had to tell when he got home? Was it as remarkable as the Christmas Truce of 1914?

German soldiers of the 134th Saxon Regiment and British soldiers of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, 26 December 1914

British and German troops meeting in no man's land, Christmas 1914

Christmas 1914 - burying the dead from both sides

Daily Mirror - Friday 08 January 1915

British and German officers in no-man's land - Christmas 1914

Soldiers fraternising in Belguim on Christmas Day 1914

You may be interested in
- Imperial War Museum podcast: Christmas Truce
- Imperial War Museum podcast: Christmas during the Great War
- BBC Radio 4 broadcast: Voices of the Great War - The Christmas Truce
(the above include some incredible oral recordings from soldiers who took part in the truce)

- First World War Centenary Partnership
(the above links to a site which details several events going on throughout the Christmas period in Britain, to celebrate the centenary of the Christmas Truce)

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

My Christmas Advent Calendar 2014

Throughout December 2014, I have been running a daily Christmas Advent Calendar with a door to open which reveals a website of historical interest. Please do take a peek at my calendar. 

- Christmas Advent Calendar 2014

To all readers of this blog, happy Christmas

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

I look forward to sharing with you more of my discoveries over the coming months - see you next time on this blog on 18th January 2015. In the meantime, you can catch me on my blog Essex Voices Past or on twitter @EssexVoicesPast

You may also be interested in my previous posts on this blog
- November 2014: Men (and women) of courage
- October 2014: Writing local history
- September 2014: Hidden from history - the scandalous Redit women of Suffolk
- April 2014: Happy Easter 1916?
- March 2014: Who do you think they were?
- February 2014: Family History Show and Tell
- January 2014: Family history is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're gonna get


 © Essex Voices Past