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A Ses Morts Glorieux: 1914-1918 et 1939-1945
In any French village or town, you're likely to find a monument
to the dead of World War I.
Millions of European men died from 1914 to 1918, but among
the Great Powers, France suffered most. Of her entire population,
over 11% were killed or wounded. On these monuments are inscribed
the names of the dead, and the list often seems much too long for
the size of the town. We read four or five identical surnames
and wonder if they were all from the same family, or was the name
simply a common one in the town? How many families lost sons,
husbands, fathers or brothers?
On some monuments, the names of those lost in World War II,
Indochina, and Algeria have been added; but these are few compared
to those lost in the Great War. The monuments are a sobering and
sad reminder that almost an entire generation of young men was
wiped out in just four years.
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