Roughly 100,000 British and German troops were involved in the unofficial cessations of hostility along the Western Front. [15] The first truce started on Christmas Eve 1914, when German troops decorated the area around their trenches in the region of Ypres , Belgium and particularly in Saint-Yvon (called Saint-Yves, in Plugstreet/Ploegsteert – Comines-Warneton), where Capt. Bruce Bairnsfather described the truce. [16] The Germans placed candles on their trenches and on Christmas trees, then continued the celebration by singing Christmas carols . The British responded by singing carols of their own. The two sides continued by shouting Christmas greetings to each other. Soon thereafter, there were excursions across No Man's Land, where small gifts were exchanged, such as food, tobacco and alcohol, and souvenirs such as buttons and hats. The artillery in the region fell silent. The truce also allowed a breathing spell where recently killed soldiers could be br