From Eden to Babylon
I am always amazed how people, even in the direst situations, insist on celebrating Christmas.
In 1915, the British Indian army was trapped in a bend of the River Tigris by the Ottomans, and bombarded endlessly.
By Christmas 1915 they had been under siege three weeks and were sheltering in one of the many trenches they had built. They were soaking wet, tired and extremely hungry. Many had given up hope.
Despite the desperate situation, the Rev Spooner, a most remarkable and brave man insisted on holding a Christmas Service in the trenches. Every man attended even though shells were still falling around them. Tears were falling freely as each man imagined himself back home celebrating with his family. Each brought out his meagre Red Cross rations and shared them with his fellows. Some remember tinned goose and plum duff and there was a small amount of peaty Scotch whisky to pass around.
The siege went on until 29th April 2016 when the exhausted and starved troops were finally forced into surrender.
Their ordeal was by no means over but that story is for another time.
Happy Christmas everybody!