THE grandsons of Christmas Truce hero Major Archibald Buchanan-Dunlop and his German counterpart met up at Loretto School on the Saturday before Christmas to see a specially commissioned stained glass windown unveiled in their honour.

Colonel Robin Buchanan-Dunlop and his wife Nicola joined Joachim Freiherr Von Sinner and his wife Ulrike in the school chapel on Saturday for a special commemoration service.

And Mr Von Sinner paid tribute to both their grandfathers, describing the famous truce – which saw British and German soldiers fighting each other in the First World War temporarily lay down their arms for Christmas – as “an act of bravery in a very cruel time”.

The school unveiled the new chapel window as part of a weekend of remembrance which saw more than 80 children from schools in Germany, Belgium and Scotland visit Musselburgh.

The window, which depicts the famous handshake between the major and Hauptmann Maximilian Freiherr Von Sinner, marking the Christmas Truce at Ypres in 1914, was created by Haddington-based artist Kate Henderson, and also contains 148 poppies representing former Loretto pupils who died in the war.

Dr Graham Hawley, headmaster at Loretto, said the school held special links with the war and Major Buchanan-Dunlop.

The major received the school’s Christmas programme while serving on the front line and used their carol sheets to lead singing from the trenches on Christmas Day a century ago.

Dr Hawley said: “We believe he also would have gone onto No Man’s Land, he was instrumental in leading the singing and all the events which led to the truce.” Major Buchanan-Dunlop was a former pupil who returned to the school as bursar following his military service.

Baron von Sinner was the commanding officer of the Machine-gun Company of the Prussian 6th Jäger Battalion.

Mr Von Sinner said he was immensely proud of all the soldiers who took part in the truce and the recognition of his grandfather’s role.

He said: “I am very proud of what they did because it was strictly forbidden to fraternise, so it was extremely brave, in my eyes. This is what we should keep in mind, it was bravery in a very cruel time.” As well as the service at Loretto Chapel, students from the school recreated the famous football game played between enemy soldiers on Christmas Day 1914.

And they held a concert singing the traditional carols which would have echoed across No Man’s Land that day.