Christmas Truce Exhibition

I have just returned from two days in Ieper with Gen Riley and four Saxon military historians.

We had a good meeting with the three local mayors and finalised the plans. The exhibition, with artefacts, documents and photos from both Wales and Saxony, will start on 2 August in the Saxon Army Museum in Wolkenstein. From there it will be taken to the Great War Centre at Ploegsteert (20 October) and the Town Halls of Armentières (26 November) and finally Frelinghien (13 December). From 5 January 2015 the exhibition will be held in Bodelwyddan Castle and probably other places in Wales (Cardiff is interested).

In Frelinghien trenches are being dug for re-enactments of the Truce while the Truce Memorial is being improved by extensive but unobtrusive landscaping. There will be a football match between teams of the Royal Welsh and the Marienberger Jaeger from Dresden, as in 2008 when we unveiled our memorial. I am also planning to have the grandsons of the 1914 officers, Maj Stockwell and Oberstleutnant Freiherr von Sinner, meet in the former No Man's Land again to exchange cigars and plum pudding as they did in 2008 (and their grandfathers did in 1914).

We hope that many Forum members will be able to attend the opening in Frelinghien.

John

John I would love to be there on this historical re-enaction and I wish you all the best for it mate

Sounds very productive John.

What type of artefacts are planned?

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Originally Posted by Richard Ward

What type of artefacts are planned?

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Uniforms and equipment of 1914, gifts (caps, badges, buttons and so on) received in No Man's Land, Christmas cards describing the occasion, Princess Mary's and the Kaiser's gifts to the troops, that sort of thing. We plan to fill two large rooms, no more as the whole lot has to be transportable (with limited means).

John

There will be a guide book for sale with photographs of all exhibits and descriptions in English, French, German and Welsh.

We also plan to make the photographs available for downloading on the Forum, but behind a pay-wall to generate some income for the RWF Museum. Bob is working on that.

John

Is Wrexham interested? They ought to be!

Clive

They were, but it now seems they're not. Neither is Birmingham.

John

Dates have now been confirmed.

The exhibition at Frelinghien, where 2 RWF had its truce, will open on Sat 13 Dec. The meeting of the Welsh and German company commanders in No Man's Land will be repeated on the same spot by their grandsons, Major Miles Stockwell and Oberstleutnant Joachim Freiherr von Sinner. The commemorative football match between a team of the Royal Welsh and a German Army team will also be played that day.

John

Thats pretty impressive John. Stockwell….I'm surprised there's never been a book just about him?. He seemed to be so pivotal in the early years of the war. Or has there been one that i've missed?

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Originally Posted by ap1

Thats pretty impressive John. Stockwell….I'm surprised there's never been a book just about him?. He seemed to be so pivotal in the early years of the war. Or has there been one that i've missed?

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This one perhaps?

http://rwf-forum.co.uk/vBulletin/sho...ghie-Stockwell

That's a different Stockwell, Jerry.

No book that I know of, Al.

John

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Originally Posted by Baconwallah

That's a different Stockwell, Jerry.

No book that I know of, Al.

John

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Thanks John, I did wonder and was surprised when I posted the link to it. I'll get my coat.

The Christmas Truce Stockwell was Capt Clifton Inglis Stockwell, Jerry. He joined 2 RWF on 13/09/1914 to command A Coy, transferred to 1 RWF in 03/1915, gaining the DSO at Festubert, and commanded the Bn from 21/02/1916 to 17/09/1916, leaving to take command of 164 Bde, 55 Div.

John

What about after the war John?

A short summary, Al:

Maj to 2 RWF in Limerick in 1920, then Temp Brig Gen as GSO2 until 11/1921. Bde Commander, Irish Command, until 01/1922, then GSO2 Ireland and Southern Command. Commandant Senior Officers School in India, then commanded 11 Bde at Ahmednagar until 1932 when he retired. He was recalled in the Second World War as Brig, Group Commander, Shetlands. Retired again 1941. Died 04/12/1953.

John