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| Le monument aux morts in Lauzun |
Yesterday was
Armistice de la Première Guerre mondiale, and our village, like nearly all others here in France, noted the day with
une cérémonie solennelle. Children lay flowers at the base of
le monument aux morts. The names of those who died in WWI are read; after each, those gathered chant
"mort pour la France" ("died for France").
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Les enfants with a bouquet of flowers at
Lauzun's Armistice Day ceremony |
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| Armistice Day in Lauzun |
World War I (1914-1918) lasted 1,566 days. In France, 1 out of 20 of the total population were killed. More than half the French soldiers were wounded (4.3 million) or killed (1.4 million). Deaths of soldiers created 700,000 widows and more than 1 million orphans.
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| Armistice Day in Lauzun |
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| Armistice Day in Lauzun |
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The mayor of Lauzun at the village's
Armistice Day ceremony |
Only 10 communes in France (known as "thankful villages") had no WWI casualties. In our little village, there are 37 names of soldiers who died during the war listed on its monument.
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| Le monument aux morts in Lauzun |
Europeans are honoring the centennial of the Great War for four years. One can anticipate that Nov. 11, 2018 will be a particularly poignant day of celebration.
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