Soldier was witness to Christmas truce

Wounded . . . the Oldham Standard reported that Harry Twidale had been injured for a third time.

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‘I shall never forget . . . the Germans and ourselves declared peace for a few days’

OLDHAMERS are being urged to turn detective to find out more about a local soldier that took part in a famous Christmas Day truce in 1914.

Volunteers at Oldham Local Studies and Archives Centre working on the GM1914 World War One project have discovered a letter, published in the Oldham Chronicle in January, 1915, from Private Harry Twidale to his parents at 11 Balfour Street, Clarksfield.

In it, he says: “I was in a charge last week, and it was terrible. We lost over 100 killed and wounded.

“One of those who joined with me in Oldham got shot through the eye and the other one was wounded and missing.

“I shall never forget Christmas Day in my life. About nine o’clock on Christmas morning, the Germans and ourselves declared peace for a couple of days and you can imagine what it was like. It seemed very funny to be able to walk about on the top of the trenches.

“The first job we had was to bury all our dead, and we had a lot to bury, who had been lying there since the charge. We buried about 70 men. While we were doing that the Germans buried theirs.

“After that, we had a good time the rest of the two days. We were talking with the Germans and exchanged souvenirs. The Gordon Highlanders were with us in the trenches, and they had bagpipes with them, so we had a bit of a Christmas concert.

“I got a helmet off one of the Germans, but I can’t carry it about with me. We got a Christmas present from the Princess Mary today, a small brass box engraved, containing cigarettes and tobacco and a pipe and Christmas card.”

Private Harry Twidale had taken part in an attack with the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards on the Well Farm position at La Boutillerie on December 18, 1914, which saw many casualties.

He joined the army in August, 1914, at the age of 16 and was sent to France in October, 1914. He was wounded at the battle of Festubert on June 15, 1915, and after a short leave at home headed to Gallipoli, where he was wounded in the Suvla Bay landing.

He was wounded again on the first day of the Battle of the Somme on July 1, 1916. His elder brother, W E Twidale, was killed in action on June 7, 1917.

Anyone with more information on Harry is urged to contact the archives centre in Union Street, by calling 0161-770 4654 or email archives@oldham.gov.uk.

Photographs and memories of the First World War are also wanted for the Oldham Remembers website which features names of local soldiers who fought in the conflict and aims to be a focal point for the 100th anniversary commemoration.

Visit www.oldhamremembers.org.uk, email oldhamremembers@oldham.gov.uk or call 0161-770 3297 to get involved.