Christmas Sunday WW1 Remembered...

A Christmas Story

December, 1916... somewhere on the Western Front

He sat huddled against the biting chill of a cold wind that whistled and moaned its way along the trench. Dan was so cold he couldn't feel his feet, or his fingers, and how he longed for the warmth and the crackle of a wood fire and the comforting smell of his mother's spiced gingerbread cake. Lost in deep thought, Dan felt the icy, cold air of the Western Front slip away and for a moment he was back in his mother's kitchen and he could hear her voice gently scold him for bringing in mud from outside.

"How many times, Dan, take your boots off by the door, and stop tramping in muck from the field...and close the door, it's bitter out there.."

Dan smiled to himself and rubbed his mittened hands together, any thought of home brought him comfort. He looked up at the midnight blue sky, so many stars twinkled above him, he felt as if he could see far into the heavens. He knew that the same night sky flickered down on the fields of home but, right now, the farm seemed so very far away. He remembered previous Christmas times, walking home from church with the sound of carols ringing in the air. Dan doubted he would ever want to go to church again, not after what he had seen in recent months, he scarce believed in God any more.

"Man's inhumanity to man, well, that didn't bear thinking about, did it?"

Holding the same stooped position in the trench for hours on end didn't half play havoc with his back and every bit of him ached so that the thought of a long hot soak in warm water was something he dreamed about. He stretched and rolled his cramped neck muscles,   “Come on, Dan, lad", he said to himself, " A warm bath, that's not going to happen any time soon, ...so stop daydreaming!”

Dan could hear the muffles and groans of the other men, some like him, sat hunched in their overcoats, like hulking shadows, others were pressed along the edges of the duckboards trying to grab a few minutes sleep and merciful oblivion, but sleep didn't last long, not in this cold. They were so close to the enemy lines that an issue had gone round that no braziers were to be lit which meant that everyone was wearing so many layers of clothing that sometimes it was hard to move. Dan laughed to himself when he thought of how he would play cricket for the Sunday sports team in little more than white trousers and a shirt. Would this war never end, he wanted to go home so badly he had to pinch himself hard to stop the tears from flowing. 

Dan sensed a lightening of the air around him and knew that dawn was breaking. Christmas Day, he thought with a wry smile. He wondered if Santa would bring anything. He laughed out loud, there had been promise of an extra rum ration, but well, you never knew these days, if promises would be kept. He felt down into his kit bag and brought out a crumpled package he'd been saving for a few days. With icy fingers, quite numb now with cold, Dan opened the parcel and felt the softness of wool and smelled the spice of gingerbread. It was a scarf, soft and warm and oh, so long that Dan could wrap it several times around his head and neck. It smelled of wood smoke, the scent of home and he pictured his mother, knitting needles flying as she sat after another long day on the farm. Wrapped in greased paper was a gingerbread cake, it was icy cold to touch, but the warmth of the spices hit his senses as soon as he crumbled a corner of it into his mouth. He wouldn't eat too much now, he would share the rest with his mate, Bob, who didn't have a mother to make him a cake for Christmas.

Dan heard the first stirring of life in the trench, the moans and murmurs changed to coughs and snuffles as his companions started to make ready for a new day. And then, ever so gently, Dan heard the plaintive notes of a harmonica and the first few notes of Silent Night echoed gently along the line of the trench.

"Happy Christmas, mum", Dan whispered, and his voice echoed across the miles to his mother, who, just starting her day on the farm, looked up into the dawn streaked sky and whispered softly, "Happy Christmas, son".

©Jo Barton, 2016


Listen to a Imperial War Museum Podcast here about the winter of 1916-1917

Christmas Dinner on the Western Front

December 

1916

© IWM (Q 1630)

Jaffa and I wish you all a Blessed and Peaceful Christmas

Sunday WW1 Remembered...

I featured this poem in December 2014 and I feel that it deserves another viewing.

A Christmas Prayer

(From the Trenches)

by 

Cyril Winterbotham

1887- 1916

Not yet for us may Christmas bring

Good-will to men, and peace;

In our dark sky no angels sing,

Not yet the great release

For men, when war shall cease.

So must the guns our carols make,

Our gifts must bullets be,

For us no Christmas bells shall wake;

These ruined homes shall see

No Christmas revelry.

In hardened hearts we fain would greet

The Babe at Christmas born,

But lo, He comes with pierced feet,

Wearing a crown of thorn,-

His side a spear has torn.

For tired eyes are all too dim,

Our hearts too full of pain,

Our ears too deaf to hear the hymn

Which angels sing in vain,

"The Christ is born again."

O Jesus, pitiful, draw near,

That even we may see

The Little Child who knew not fear;

Thus would we picture Thee

Unmarred by agony.

O'er death and pain triumphant yet

Bid Thou Thy harpers play,

That we may hear them, and forget

Sorrow and all dismay,

And welcome Thee to stay

With us on Christmas Day.

Cyril Winterbotham was a Lieutenant in the 1/5th Battalion Gloucester Regiment.

He was killed in  August 1916 and is listed on the Thiepval memorial.

Review ~ Bertie's Gift by Hannah Coates

I am delighted to feature the first of my Christmas Reads

Hodder&Stoughton
2016

A bit of book blurb..

This is the heart-warming, inspirational story of one cheeky little dog and his beloved sister, two grumpy cats, and a family at Christmas. Bertie is alone, devastated after his beloved sister and fellow beagle Molly is adopted, leaving him behind. When Bertie is taken in by the Green family, it seems he's finally found a place to call home...Yet Bertie swiftly realises that the kind and loving Green family is in crisis. After a tragedy two years ago, they've never recovered - and as Christmas approaches, grief is pulling them apart. Never has a four-legged friend been more in need - and brave, warm-hearted Bertie must rise to the challenge. Can he enlist the help of hostile felines Kitty and Rico to help him find Molly - and can bring the Green family back together again, all in time for Christmas?

Here are my thoughts..

After the initial few pages I completely forgot that I was reading this book from a dog's perspective. Of course, I had to hide the fact that this was a book about a D.O.G - Jaffa isn't over enamoured of his canine compatriots. But as ever, I have  a cunning plan and a nifty little book bag to hide the book from Jaffa's suspicious cat's eyes.

It must be said that I fell in love with Bertie from the beginning of this charming story which shares all that's good, and sometimes, bad about pet ownership.

The story starts off quite grim with Bertie and his sister Molly sharing a rather unpleasant existence with a number of other dogs and living with an owner who, since his wife died, can't really be bothered about any of them. When the dogs are taken to an animal shelter to be re-homed you can't help but form an emotional attachment to this brave little Beagle who cares so much for his sister Molly that you feel the loss when they are separated and taken away to live with  new people.

The story is warm and compassionate and sensitively portrays the world from Bertie’s unique perspective so that we get a distinctively canine view of the world with all its inherent dangers and complications. Bertie is such a lovely exuberant character that it’s hard not to fall completely in love with him. His liveliness is quite infectious and the goodness of his spirit not only helps to heal a fractured family and restore hope to a sad little boy, but also shows the power of friendship, the value of loyalty and the overwhelming bond of love which exists between pets and their owners.

However, much as I loved Bertie the Beagle, I was especially drawn towards  the two dastardly felines, Kitty and Rico, who show that cats are shrewd operators when it comes to the small matter of surveillance.

Bertie's Gift is a lovely heartwarming Christmas Read, just perfect reading for all animals lovers be they canine or feline..



Best Read with ...A spiced gingerbread latte and a delicious bite of stollen, heavy on the marzipan..

Follow on  the author on Twitter @BertiesGift

My thanks to Rosie at  the Hodder Press Office for my review copy of Bertie's Gift

Review ~ Candle Stick Press Poetry Pamphlets..

Today I'm talking about


Lovely little, poetry pamphlets from  Candlestick Press

I've fallen in love with these rather special poetry pamphlets which you can send instead of a card. They are beautifully presented and a real joy to read.

Here are my thoughts about the three latest ones :

Ten Poems about Friendship

Selected and Introduced by Lorraine Mariner

Literature, both in prose and poetry has extolled the virtue and the value of true friendship. In this wonderfully presented pamphlet the idea of friendship is demonstrated in all of its many guises. From Stevie Smith's The Pleasures of Friendship through to the Inventory by Lorraine Mariner which offers a wry look at the benefit of Facebook friendship.

However, my absolute favourite is the very last of the ten poems and is entitled quite simply Friendship by Elizabeth Jennings, it is beautifully expressed and quite special.

A perfect friendship gift.

The Wood in Winter

By John Lewis-Stempel 

The beautiful whites and russets of the front cover of this pamphlet conjure perfectly a winter woodland. You feel that you could reach right out and touch the rich red pelt of the shadowy fox and catch a secretive glimpse of the shy grey hare as it peeps just inches away from the running deer.

Inside is a story which warms the heart and soul. Beautifully written, this is one man's journey though Pool Wood, the woodland of his childhood, and the thoughts and feelings expressed are perfectly in keeping with the idea of how much nature means to us. There's a nod to Shakespeare's King Lear in the haunting "Still Through the hawthorn blows the cold wind", and a touch of superstition and folk lore, which combined forms an imagery which is quite stunning. Interspersed as it is, with glorious illustrations from the natural world this is, without doubt, one of the nicest pamphlets I have ever seen.

The Twelve Poems of Christmas (Volume 8)

Edited by Carol Ann Duffy

This glorious collection of twelve poems associated with Christmas allows a glimpse into the many facets of Christmas we so often take for granted.With a mixture of poetry, both old and new the festive season comes alive in the imagination. Two of my favourite poets have been included, John Keats and Robert Graves, and their work sits very comfortably alongside Stevie Smith and other more modern poets, who are perhaps less well known, but whose work is no less impressive.

And for the purists there is also a complete rendition of The Twelve Days of Christmas, well, it's always useful to know just how many pipers were piping.

Candlestick Press is a small independent publisher who produce a really impressive array of poetry pamphlets which suit any occasion. I'm always impressed by the quality of these booklets which are really lovely to look at and a joy to read. The quality of the paper on which they are printed, the fact that they also include an envelope, a letter seal and a beautifully coordinated book mark, make them something quite, quite special.

You can find out more about these titles by clicking here

My thanks to Candlestick Press for the opportunity to read these beautifully presented pamphlets and also to Lauraine Jordan at Trumpet Public Relations for organising my review copies.

~***~

Sunday WW1 Poet..

A fitting tribute to end this year's WW1 poetry

Hope you've enjoyed reading them.

Anniversary of the Great Retreat (1915)

by

Isabel C Clarke

Now a whole year has waxed and waned and whitened

Over the mounds that marked the grim advance;

The winter snows have lain, the spring flowers brightened,

On those beloved graves of Northern France.

Caudry, Le Cateau. Landrecies, are written

In our sad hearts with letters of flame,

Where our young dead still lie, untimely smitten,

In graves still unredeemed that bear no name.

And those who saw them spoke of the ‘boy-faces’

The English soldiers wore; they heard them sing

As they went forth to their appointed places,

Who when night fell lay unremembering….

O England, sing their fame in songs and story,

Who knew Death’s victory not Life’s defeat;

By their names written on thy roll of glory,

Who fought and perished in the Great Retreat!

These held they high tradition in their keeping

This flower of all a nations’ youth and pride

And safe they hold it still in their last sleeping;

They heard thy call and answered it and died…

And by those graves that mark their proud surrender

In days to come each one that lingereth

Shall sadly think of all their vanished splendour,

‘Contemptible’. But faithful unto death.

So we press forward, step by step redeeming

Each hallowed spot our dead have sanctified,

That we may whisper to them in their dreaming.

The Victory is ours because you died….

~***~

25 Random Facts About Me .....

I saw this idea on my friend Anne's Blog

Random Things Through my Letterbox

Here's 25 Random Facts About Me 

What is your middle name?

My middle name is Anne – I am always very specific about the e

What is your favourite drink?

Darjeeling tea – piping hot, milk and no sugar

What is your Favourite Song at the moment?

White Christmas – the Bing Crosby version

What is your favourite food?

Fish ,chips, mushy peas – no salt or vinegar

What was the last thing you bought?

The last thing I bought for myself was a pair of Santa socks which were already half price 

What is your favourite book of all time?

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

What is your favourite colour?

I’m a child of the seventies – so purple and orange not necessarily together or to be worn at the same time 

Do you have any pets?

The very lovely and very spoiled – Jaffa Pickle

What is your favourite perfume?

I have two – Noa by Cacherel and 24 Faubourg by Hermes 

What is your favourite holiday?

A magical,welsh seaside hideaway – those who know me know where this is…

Are you married?

Yes, to the same man for 36 years

Have you ever been out of the country?

I’m not an intrepid traveler, but yes, I have left these shores a few times to various destinations abroad.

Do you speak another language?

A smattering of very bad French – I now wish I’d paid more attentions to my French teacher,Mrs Tattersall, at the WGHS

How many siblings do you have?

I have two older brothers

What is your favourite store?

Most people would expect me to say a bookshop which indeed would be true, but my absolute favourite shop is John Lewis – they sell wool !

What is your favourite restaurant?

The Windmill at Parbold,Lancashire who make the best fish, chips and mushy peas

When was the last time you cried?

Just the other day, when I saw the devastation caused by the floods in Cumbria and because I know, first hand, just how hard people are working in the background to try and help

What is your Favourite Blog?

I have lots of favourite blogs, far too many to single out – they’re all wonderful and a huge inspiration


What is your Favourite Movie?

I have two – Love story (1970) and Babe (1995)

 

What is your favourite TV Show?

Downton Abbey – I’m already in melt down because it’s the last episode of Christmas Day

Pc or Mac?

Pc

What phone do you have?

A basic Samsung – I am notoriously bad at answering my phone or texting, so I don’t need anything fancy


What is your favourite pastime?

Knitting/Crocheting ...oh ....and ....reading

 

Can you cook?

Yes, I can – I make excellent roast potatoes

Do you have any tattoos or piercings?

I have only one tiny piercing in each ear which I had done as a sixteenth birthday present. 

No tattoos.

I hope you've enjoyed reading these 25 Random Facts about me !!

~***~

Jaffa and I are are taking a little break now until the New Year - so until then

And Happy Reading 

~***~

Sunday WW1 Poet...

Over the four weeks of December I will feature some of the Christmas poems of WW1.

The Fallen

by

Diana Gurney

Shall we not lay our holly wreath

Here at the foot of this high cross?

We do not know, perhaps a breath

Of our remembering may come

To them at last where they are sleeping,

They are quiet, they are dumb,

No more of mirth, no more of weeping,

Silent Christmas they are keeping;

Ours the sorrow, ours the loss.




~***~

Sunday WW1 Poet...

Over the next four weeks of December I will feature some of the Christmas poems of WW1.

Christmas 1916: Thoughts in a V.A.D. Hospital Kitchen

by

M.Winifred Wedgewood

There’s no Xmas leave for us scullions,

We’ve got to keep on with the grind;

Just cooking for Britain’s heroes,

But, bless you! We don’t really mind.

We’ve scores and scores of potatoes,

And cabbages also to do,

And onions, and turnips, and what not,

That go in the Irish Stew.

We’re baking and frying and boiling,

From morning until night;

But we’ve got to keep on a bit longer,

Till Victory comes in sight.

Then there’s cutting the thin bread and butter,

For the men who are very ill;

But we feel we’re well rewarded;

For they’ve fought old Kaiser Bill.

Yes! We’ve got to hold on a while longer,

Till we’ve beaten the Hun to his knees;

And then ‘Goodbye’ to the kitchen;

The treacle, the jam and the cheese

Sunday WW1 Poet...

Over the next four weeks of December I will feature some of the Christmas poems of WW1.

The Falling Leaves

By

 Margaret Postgate Cole

November 1915

Today, as I rode by,

I saw the brown leaves dropping from their tree

In a still afternoon,

When no wind whirled them whistling to the sky,

But thickly, silently,

They fell, like snowflakes wiping out the noon;

And wandered slowly thence

For thinking of a gallant multitude

Which now all withering lay,

Slain by no wind of age or pestilence,

But in their beauty strewed

Like snowflakes falling on the Flemish clay.

~***~

A Happy Christmas Giveaway...

A Happy Christmas Giveaway



From Jaffareadstoo

Harper Collins
October 2015

This is a lovely hardback edition

UK only

Answer this question to enter



Have you ever collected anything and if so, tell us all about it...?



Leave your name and contact details so we know where to find you if you win !!




Answer in the comments below




Giveaway ends 12 December 2015 at 12 midday


**ENDED **



Do keep checking the blog as there'll be other Happy Christmas Giveaways.....

Jaffa is busy wrapping !!









**Winner is Babs**


Thanks to everyone who entered - sorry you couldn't all win !

Sunday War Poet..

A Carol from Flanders

by

Frederick Niven

1878 - 1944

In Flanders on the Christmas morn

The trenched foemen lay,

the German and the Briton born,

And it was Christmas Day.

The red sun rose on fields accurst,

The gray fog fled away;

But neither cared to fire the first,

For it was Christmas Day!

They called from each to each across

The hideous disarray,

For terrible has been their loss:

"Oh, this is Christmas Day!"

Their rifles all they set aside,

One impulse to obey;

'Twas just the men on either side,

Just men — and Christmas Day.

They dug the graves for all their dead

And over them did pray:

And Englishmen and Germans said:

"How strange a Christmas Day!"

Between the trenches then they met,

Shook hands, and e'en did play

At games on which their hearts were set

On happy Christmas Day.

Not all the emperors and kings,

Financiers and they

Who rule us could prevent these things —

For it was Christmas Day.

Oh ye who read this truthful rime

From Flanders, kneel and say:

God speed the time when every day

Shall be as Christmas Day.

Frederick Niven was a writer and journalist.

*~*~*

A very happy and peaceful Christmas to you all...

Jaffa and I would like to wish all our friends and followers 

A very happy and peaceful Christmas

And may all your Christmas wishes come true. 

Itty Bitty Thank you...

Jaffa and I would like to send a whopping big thank you all the authors who have so generously taken part in our Itty Bitty Christmas feature.

You make blogging so much fun...

Jan Ruth

Gillian Hamer

Debbie Johnson

Jean Mead

Liza Perrat

Helen Hollick

Nancy Jardine

Anne O'Brien

Rebecca Mascull

Anne Allen

Wendy Percival

J D Smith

Linda Huber

Linda Huber's Itty Bitty Christmas ...

Wishing you a Merry Christmas 

from 


Linda Huber

What’s your earliest Christmas Memory?

I was four years old and my present from Santa was a yellow scooter. I remember uncovering it on Christmas morning (my parents had draped it with one of the nineteen tablecloths they received as wedding presents) and just standing there gobsmacked – a scooter! Oddly, my mother was actually in hospital over Christmas that year, but I have no recollection of that at all.

Do you have any special Christmas Traditions?

I live in Switzerland so Christmas is a mixture of British and Swiss traditions. The Christmas trees here don’t go up till the 24^th, and that’s when the Christ-child brings the presents, too, in the evening while the family are eating in another room. After the meal everyone congregates in the living room and presents are opened and played with. This has the advantage that the children aren’t up at 4 a.m. on the 25^th…

 What’s your favourite festive carol or song?

‘White Christmas’ does it for me every time!

 Do you have a favourite festive film?

It’s not exactly festive but it’s on most years and I usually watch it – The Sound of Music.
And of course The Snowman with its beautiful theme song.

 What’s your favourite festive read?

I don’t really have one. Mary Higgins Clark’s Silent Night is a good Christmas read, but I don’t have anything I read traditionally over the holiday. Usually I’m only too glad to have a little extra time to catch up on my to-be-read list!

 Are you organised or do you leave everything until the last minute?

I used to be extremely organised out of sheer necessity – Christmas presents to the UK from Switzerland have to be in the post at the beginning of December for guaranteed arrival by the 24^th. Nowadays we give to charity so that’s easier. Food shopping tends to be a bit last-minute in our house. I’ve stood in many a long queue at the supermarket on Christmas Eve!
 

Christmas Tree – real or artificial?

When the kids were small we always had a real one. Now we have an artificial one, but it’s the ornaments that are important. We have so many the boys made themselves over the years. The tiny flowerpot bell, the glue-gun stars, and of course the toilet paper angel. She always has pride of place!

 Tinsel or Glitter?

In a word – both!

Gingerbread Latte or Orange spiced Hot Chocolate?

I’ve never tried either but Gingerbread Latte sounds a wee bit OTT so I’ll go for Orange spiced hot choc. You can’t go wrong with chocolate and orange…

 Mince Pie or Yule Log?

I love mince pies but unless one of my expat friends brings mincemeat we don’t get them in Switzerland. I remember my mother making them, oh, the aroma when they came out of the oven!

Christmas Dinner – Traditional Turkey or something Different?

In Switzerland the tradition is flexible – some families go for baked ham and potatoes, some have cheese or (more usually, at Christmas) meat fondue, or Raclette. This is a dish where you have a table-grill and everyone has a little pan of cheese to melt, and the result is eaten with potatoes, gherkins and pickles onions, olives etc.

Christmas Tipple – Bucks Fizz/Mulled Wine or something stronger?

Nothing can beat The Christmas Sherry in our house. Longstanding family tradition, a bottle of sherry over Christmas…

 A fun game of after dinner charades or more chocolates and the television?

We have a traditional Swiss Christmas dinner on the evening of the 24^th, after which the family open their presents, which generally takes care of the whole evening. The 25^th is a day to visit more family and friends, and generally relax, eat the leftovers and do your own thing. Which could include charades and chocolates and the television!

 @LindaHuber19
LindaHuber.net

Linda's Books can be found on Amazon

  


Linda is offering one copy of her latest book Cold Cold Sea to one lucky winner of this giveaway

(Europe only)


a Rafflecopter giveaway

My thanks to Linda for sharing her Christmas with us.

Jaffa and I wish you a very Happy Christmas






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