It was 1914 and World War 1 was raging across Europe. As dawn broke across the battlefield that Christmas morning Walter Kirchhoff, a German Officer, once a member of the Berlin opera, began singing a carol. The poignancy of the moment moved his own soldiers and their British enemies to join in.

The song paused the war, a Christmas day truce for a few short hours. In a moment of shared humanity the opposing forces cautiously emerged from their trenches, into no man’s land, greeted their enemies, their fellow man and shared some food, drink, cigarettes, a few laughs and many tears, as they told stories of their loved ones at home. Ordinary, decent people.

This year marks 110 years since that moment of brotherly love amidst the horrors or war, inspired by music, a song. Very sadly, unnecessary wars are on the increase across our world where hatred, division, fear, poverty and suffering has become the norm for millions of people.