A tale of two Christmases: 1918 and 2011

All of us on the beach

We had a really lovely family Christmas this year. Eighteen of us gathered together in a large welcoming house, with log fires, warm comfortable beds and lots of good food. We had a lovely time just being together: going for walks, playing games, cooking in teams, and taking turns looking after baby Thomas. We aren't together all that often, and now that the children are older it is a lot of fun seeing them all getting along and contributing so much to the family in different ways.

When we got back from our week away, I had an urge to tidy up the attic. I came across some letters and diaries written by my French great-grandfather, Docteur Athanase Linard. He was called up to serve as a doctor in the First World War, and spent the best part of 4 years away from home, traveling from one place to another, setting up field hospitals, or following troops into battle. In the Somme, he was on horseback, at other times and places he traveled by train. He wrote letters - often daily, though we don't have them all - back to his wife Marie, and his three teenage daughters: Genevieve (my grandmother), Jeanne, and Madeleine.
 

Interrupted letter

I noticed some of the letters were written in December 1918 and I was curious why he was still away from  home (since the war was over), and how he spent his Christmas.

Postcard of Kreuznach

He seems to have been sent here and there - moving on at an hour's notice - in the weeks before Christmas 1918. He keeps referring in his letters to the fact that he hopes to be home on leave for Christmas, though he has given up hope of being 'liberated' (demobbed) because of what he refers to as the Germans 'causing trouble'. In the week before Christmas he is in Western Germany, in the Rhine valley - drinking Rhineland wine - in Mainz, , Langenlonsheim, Kreuznach, St Wendel.

As he says on the 19th Dec from Mainz: "Je fais de l’occupation et j’ai franchi le Rhin en vainqueur comme nos ancêtres il y a cent ans." (Just like our ancestors a hundred years ago, I've crossed the Rhine as a victor and now I'm part of the occupying forces.)

In every letter he refers to his hope of getting leave for Christmas and how much he's looking forward to seeing his daughters. It's not till the 21st that he gives up hope and tells them that he is to be serving at Mainz hospital for Christmas and until he gets demobbed.

On the 26th he writes a long letter home describing how he spent Christmas. This was his day:

Letter describing Christmas day

• 10am mass in the cathedral
• 1pm present distribution around the Christmas tree at the hospital for 100 wounded soldiers and 700 liberated french POWs with Mrs Rothschild (pearls the size of cherries in her ears) very busily involved in everything
• lunch for the above in two sittings of 400 each
• 2pm Generals Mangin ("petit, noiraud") and Marchand arrive
• Marseillaise is played
• Film show for everyone 

Despite being surrounded by so many people, I think Dr Linard felt alone - missing his wife and daughters, and not being home for Christmas. He enjoyed the day, but was no doubt making mental notes of things to write home about.  Writing on the morning of the 26th he even promises his girls a second letter in the afternoon. I am so thankful that in 2011 we are in peacetime, in plenty, and we could be all together as a family.