Incredible colourised images of Christmas during WW2 show soldiers still found festive joy in the darkest time
The images show the sense of community among the soldiers during a harrowing time in history
THESE striking colourised photographs of Christmas during World War Two reveal how soldiers found some festive joy during a dark time.
One image shows a group of soldiers beaming around their handmade Christmas tree that is decorated with surgical cotton and wool and empty cigarette cartons.
In another stunning photograph, a Santa Claus in a helmet and wellington boots hands out gifts to wounded soldiers.
These images of British and American soldiers show how they made it a memorable Christmas with what they had from sharing rations, meals, reading letters from loved ones and singing songs.
It brings to life the sense of community between the men during a harrowing time in history.
Other images show a British soldier announcing the Christmas pudding is ready and a group of American soldiers singing around the Christmas tree.
The original black and white photos were colourised by Welsh electrician Royston Leonard, 55, from Cardiff, Wales.
He said: “The pictures show that community is all that matters, not buildings or material things.
“Their message is that the more people try to destroy us, the move we will smile and carry on.
“I learned colourisation by trying out ideas by myself.
“I have learned so much from colourising, I feel it has helped my photography along the way.”
World War II lasted from 1939 to 1945 and took the lives 326,000 British military personnel and nearly 62,000 civilians.
One of the most famous wartime Christmases was the truce during World War One in 1914 when about 100,000 British and German troops engaged in an unofficial ceasefire along the Western front.
It started on Christmas Eve when German troops decorated their trenches in the region of Ypres, Belgium and started singing Christmas carols.
The British troops sang carols back as the two sides exchanged gifts across No Man’s Land.
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