After the Boer War Congreve held a series of command posts in Britain and Ireland.
At the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, he was a Brigadier-General, commanding 18th Brigade who were on manoeuvres in Wales at the time.
Although suffering from asthma, he deployed with them in the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France, taking part in the Battle of the Aisne.

They were stationed near Neuve Chapelle when his men took part in the 1914 Christmas truce.
In a letter written on Christmas Day itself, Brigadier-General Congreve wrote recalling how the Germans opposite his lines initiated by calling a truce earlier the same day, how one of his men got out over the parapet to meet in no man's land, and how officers and men exchanged cigars and cigarettes.
Congreve admitted he was reluctant to personally witness the scene of the truce for fear he would be a prime target for German snipers.
After the Boer War Congreve held a series of command posts in Britain and Ireland. At the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, he was a Brigadier-General, commanding 18th Brigade who were on manoeuvres in Wales at the time. Although suffering from asthma, he deployed with them in the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France, taking part in the Battle of the Aisne.
They were stationed near Neuve Chapelle when his men took part in the 1914 Christmas truce. In a letter written on Christmas Day itself, Brigadier-General Congreve wrote recalling how the Germans opposite his lines initiated by calling a truce earlier the same day, how one of his men got out over the parapet to meet in no man's land, and how officers and men exchanged cigars and cigarettes. Congreve admitted he was reluctant to personally witness the scene of the truce for fear he would be a prime target for German snipers.
Walter Norris Congreve