Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

The Truth and the Myth of the Christmas Truce

The guns fell silent, out came a ball, and a good time was had. Then industrial slaughter resumed.

Exactly 100 years ago World War One was entering its first and what many expected to be only winter. Little did they know the horrors that were to unfold in the years that followed. As that first war time Christmas approached a century ago something that would never happen again in the history of warfare occurred, a spontaneous truce broke out and famously in many cases the fighting was replaced by football, but what was myth and what was truth about the 1914 Christmas truce.

Cool Runnings: The Sequel
Chris Stokes was part of the famous Jamaican bobsleigh team that made such an impression on the world that they made the Hollywood film Cool Runnings. Now Chris’s daughter NaTalia is in training to be part of the Jamaican bob sleigh team at the 2018 Winter Olympics!

Frozen, but no Sign of Disney
For most people, December in northern Europe is a time for wrapping up warm and hibernating. The days are short and the weather's harsh - and trips to the seaside are just a distant memory. But while the freezing winter temperatures drive many indoors - there is a unique, group of people who see the big freeze as big fun! In Denmark 'winter swimming' pulls in a niche but loyal crowd - and short, sharp bursts between the cold sea and a roasting sauna are believed to do wonders for one’s health. We went for a dip at the Swan Mill Bay winter bathing club in Copenhagen.

Fat Aussies
Australia will be at the centre of the sporting world at the beginning of 2015. It plays host to football’s Asian Cup, the Cricket World Cup and the Australian Open tennis. But will it have any effect on Australia’s obesity problem? The issue is at a crisis point with rates among children having soared in recent years, sparking a surge in early onset diabetes and heart disease. So while the nation's sporting image will be enhanced by hosting all these events next year, there are also hopes that grassroots sport might be encouraged to help more young Australians to shed excess weight.

End of an Era
As 2014 draws to an end, so does an era in the world of sport, as the last wooden lacrosse sticks outside of the Native American community are produced and sold. Tom Beckett of T S Hattersley & Son in Manchester, one of the world's last wooden lacrosse stick makers, has decided to retire from his craft and hang up his tools, and with it leaves the world a little poorer for it.

Mandela: 'Save Kids Lives'
Zoleka Mandela, granddaughter of Nelson Mandela has spoken about the death of her daughter in a road traffic accident as she launched a new safety campaign. She launched the 'Save Kids Lives' campaign in Washington, ahead of the UN Global Road Safety Week next year. The campaign is backed by the FIA foundation, the charitable arm of the FIA, the world's governing body for motorsport.

Sporting Witness
In 1956, Angela Buxton and Althea Gibson formed one of the most unusual doubles partnerships in the history of women's tennis. As a British Jew and an African-American, they'd both faced prejudice from the tennis establishment in their respective countries but they went on to cause a major upset by winning Wimbledon.

(Photo: The 1914 Christmas truce. Credit: Hulton Archive)

55 minutes

Last on

Sat 20 Dec 2014 10:05GMT

Broadcast

  • Sat 20 Dec 2014 10:05GMT

Podcast