IT is one of the few heart-warming vignettes from a savage and catastrophic war when, on Christmas Day 1914, British and German soldiers, emerged from their trenches on the Western Front to exchange gifts, sing carols and then, when a Scottish squaddie produced a football, to play a match in no man's land. It was during the game, a German lieutenant wrote in his diary, that they discovered the Scots didn't wear underwear beneath their kilts. Three years on from that brief First World War Christmas Truce the reality was much bleaker.

At Christmas 1917 Sergeant John Wilson and Lance Corporal John Thomson of the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) were the only two survivors of a reconnaissance patrol, whose heroic efforts to save each other's lives were discovered by South Lanarkshire museum officer Barrie Duncan.

Duncan said: “At this time of year I wanted to write a blog entry that had something of a feel-good factor, echoing the festive spirit that’s typical of the season." Scanning battalion war diaries he uncovered the stark truth.

"I came across the story of Sergeant Wilson’s exploits in no man’s land with a patrol from the 10th Scottish Rifles in December 1917. The more I read and researched the story I realised this was far removed from the heart-warming story of the famous Christmas Truce of 1914. For the men involved in the patrol that left the British lines on December 21 1917, there was no Christmas miracle.”

The two soldiers were bloody, battered and bruised from being attacked and suffered from frostbite, as they dragged themselves through the snow for three days, Wilson pulling his more badly-injured comrade through the bitter cold in an outstanding act of bravery.

When the men reached British lines across no man's land they even survived by fired upon by their own comrades, who presumed they were enemy soldiers.

Douglas Torrance, from the Cameronians Friends and Families Association, said: “Heroes of the calibre of these ordinary men shouldn't be forgotten in dusty old records, but remembered as the heroes they were – especially at this time of year, as they gave their Christmas for ours.”

Both soldiers received the Military Medal for their bravery. Thomson, however, died from his injuries several days later, while Wilson had both his legs amputated as a result of his gunshot wounds, worsened by frostbite.

Wilson was discharged from the army on medical grounds in 1918. He returned to work as a Linotype operator [typesetter] at The Hamilton Advertiser for over 35 years, until his death in 1945.

Provost of South Lanarkshire Councillor Ian McAllan said: “This is a remarkable story of heroism emerging a full century after the event and we should pay tribute to the courage of Sergeant Wilson in particular for refusing to give up in his efforts to save a wounded comrade.”

Wilson bequeathed his medals to the Cameronians regimental museum and these can be seen at the Low Parks Museum in Hamilton.

Eager to uncover more about the life of Wilson, Duncan, uncovered details of a royal visit to Lanarkshire in 1938.

King George and Queen Elizabeth greeted 14 war heroes and their attention was drawn to the double amputee. King George asked “How do you manage to get along?” to which Wilson modestly replied that he gets along fine.

Duncan recently visited Wilson’s grave and, as he appeared to have no surviving family members, his grave was left unmarked. Duncan placed a memorial cross in a nearby tree to commemorate the memory of the Scots soldier and his astonishing tale of valour.

“On Christmas Day, safe and warm and in the company of my family," Duncan said, "I’ll raise a glass and spare a thought for these men and what they went through in no man’s land 100 years ago.”