CHRISTMAS TRUCE

On December 24th 1914, after 5 months of war, French, German and English troops decided, in some places along the Western Front, to have unofficial truces. Following various stalemates and the "Race to the Sea", trenches at places like Ypres were decorated with Christmas Fayre, soldiers met in No Man's Land and exchanged gifts, shared a drink and a ciggie, sung carols, buried the dead and played football.

The final episode of Blackadder Goes Forth shows Edmund playing in a football match at the Christmas Truce and getting distinctly annoyed at being given offside when he scored a goal!

I'm pleased to say that the memory of this First World War Event is being remembered at Penistone Church FC on Boxing Day, when the local town side play the local cricket club in the Christmas Truce Match ko 11am.

On Christmas Eve 1898, ten years after the founding of the Football League, Newcastle United met Sunderland at Roker Park, for the first derby and won 3-2. Sunderland had joined the league in 1890 replacing an ailing Stoke City thus becoming the first team to join the League since it's inception. Newcastle joined the Second Division in 1893-4 season.
The return match on 22nd April 1899 saw a Sunderland win 0-1 at St James' Park and 22,000 watched it. First World War Newcastle.........