2014 was the 100th anniversary of WWI. Author, illustrator Michael Foreman brings to readers a taste of what it was like in the trenches of the Western Front of France and Belgium through the eyes of his four uncles- WWI soldiers.

The young men of England were recruited to fight for “King and Country.” “As strange as it may seem today, football [soccer] played an important part in the First World War. It was used to recruit volunteers and to drive men on as they went ‘over the top’ into no-man’s-land; and it famously brought together the warring armies during the historic Christmas truce of 1914.” (page 78)

Young men who had never been away from home volunteered to fight. It would be an adventure, a chance to see the world. At first, it was parades and cheering later as the troops traveled toward the front line they encountered families fleeing the war zone and saw their first wounded troops. Eventually, they entered their life in the trenches: mud, little shelter, poor food, and firing on the Germans at dawn and dusk. Other than sentry duty, not much happened mid-day.

Enemy line could be as close as 30 yards away. Voices and the smell of food could drift in from the other side of no-man’s-land. And no-man’s-land often contained barbed wire, artillery crater holes, and dead bodies.

The war was not over by Christmas, as had been thought when the men were recruited.

Christmas Day of 1914 brought a quiet. Little by little, both sides came out of their trenches and buried their dead. Later, a Christmas tree was brought out, little gifts were exchanged, then a football [soccer ball] came out and the rest of the day was spent with both sides playing friendly, but crazy football  together.

In the days that followed, both sides saw troops moved to different parts of the front because how could the war continue to be fought if the enemies were so friendly towards each other.