What Christmas truce? Carol service for our troops on the Afghan frontline ends with a blast of reality from the Taliban



It was dusk in Helmand. And as the sun set over the baked earth, commandos wearing Santa hats gathered round the war memorial and began a simple chorus of carols.

Then the Taliban attacked.



There was no time for the troops to think or even to take off their festive hats.



Any hopes of a Christmas truce, when hostilities cease and foes become friends for a few precious hours, were dashed in an instant.

British troops in Helmand Province get into the Christmas spirit with some carols last year - but the peace was quickly shattered by a Taliban attack



It is a tradition that stretches back to the trenches of the First World War, when British and German soldiers shared drinks, sang carols, exchanged gifts and even enjoyed an impromptu game of football in no-man's-land.



But things are different in Afghanistan. At the first sound of enemy fire the Royal Marines of 40 Commando threw down their hymn sheets and sprinted to the mortar lines 200 yards away. Within a minute, they were returning fire.

For three-quarters of an hour, they battled with the insurgents, ear defenders over their festive headgear - the only reminder of the peace the evening had promised.

The soldiers had no time to change their festive headgear - be it Santa or Christmas tree hat - and began firing at enemy positions

Then, as the skirmish ended and darkness fell, the servicemen and women returned to the memorial at Forward Operating Base Inkerman, and resumed the carol service, thankful there had been no British casualties.



The attack, on Christmas Day last year, illustrates the relentless call of duty faced by our troops on the front line. In Afghanistan, 8,000 will celebrate the season this way. A further 4,100 will spend the military's final Christmas Day in Iraq.

Recalling the skirmish, Captain Euan Goodman, of The Rifles regiment, who took the photographs, said: 'We were with the Royal Marines at their camp, which is surrounded by mountains and desert. We were experiencing Afghanistan's coldest winter for 20 years but the lads were in really high spirits.

A commando celebrates last year's Christmas at the Inkerman base

'They were in the middle of a traditional carol service, complete with Santa hats and song sheets, when they came under attack from the Taliban, who had targeted one of the checkpoints.



'There was the sound of machine gun fire and an explosion. They dropped their hymn sheets and literally ran 200 metres to the mortar lines.

'A few Santa hats were thrown on the ground, but for others there was no time to remove them. They were still wearing their hats when they fired their mortar rounds.

'It went on for about 45 minutes and by then it was pretty much dark. But they went back to the war memorial and continued their service. I think that later they had their Christmas meal.



'It's supposed to be a special time of year no matter where you are. But at the end of the day it's the nature of the job that we have to keep working. The show must go on.'

Earlier in the day, Captain Goodman, 28, had helped deliver a goat for Gurkhas to curry for their own Christmas meal.

Regardless of the difficult conditions, soldiers try to retain a touch of festive spirit, he explained.

Traditionally, officers wake their men with 'gunfire', a mug of tea containing a shot of rum or whisky - and then serve them their meal.



Captain Goodman, who joined the Army in 2001, added: 'We try to ensure everyone either gets a slap-up breakfast or a traditional Christmas lunch.

The Royal Marines put the festivities on hold at their base in Inkerman as they dash to return fire - still wearing their Christmas hats



'All the food is prepared at the main base at Camp Bastion and then flown out by helicopters to each camp to heat up in the oven. We also get inundated with presents from the general public, which are a huge morale boost.



'Thousands of parcels are donated every year and split evenly among the units who then share them out. You get everything from toothpaste to woolly scarfs.



'It's much like the traditional present opening you get on Christmas morning - except servicemen tend to have the wrapping off as soon as they get the parcel, whether it's two weeks before Christmas or sometimes long after it's finished.'



This year there will also be additional free telephone time made available to call loved ones.

The skirmish lasted 45 minutes before troops could resume the carol service - with no British casualties



On Christmas Day, soldiers at Bastion will tuck into the 700lb of replacement turkey, flown in by the RAF after insurgents attacked a convoy carrying the original consignment - topped off with 200 jars of cranberry sauce - along with 300lb of roast pork, 1,000lb of gammon and 150lb of beef. The team of chefs will also prepare 350lb of sprouts, 700lb of roast potatoes and 270lb of carrots.

To complete the feast there will be 222 Christmas puddings, 37 Christmas cakes and a ration of one mince pie and one After Eight mint for each serviceman and woman.

In addition, there will be 3,000 crackers - complete with bad jokes - 2,880 party poppers, 3,600 assorted balloons, 2,880 party hats, and 3,000 streamers.