The Christmas Truce was a series of widespread unofficial ceasefires along the Western Front of the First World War during Christmas 1914. Men from both sides ventured into no man’s land to mingle and exchange food and souvenirs. There were joint burial ceremonies and prisoner swaps, while several meetings ended in carol-singing. Men played games of football with one another, creating one of the most memorable images of the truce.

The WWI Christmas Truce of 1914 is a now legendary story; a spark of peace and goodwill between two nations amidst the chaos of war. But how did it happen? How much, if any, of the story is really true? Here, we speak to historians and researchers on how it all happened, and read letters from soldiers of both sides who bore witness to this remarkable moment of humanity during WWI.