1. Armistice and the Great War
L’Armistice de la grande guerre
The Great War was fought mainly in Europe but it was called a world war because it was also fought on fronts throughout the world. It was particularly traumatic for France because France suffered the most heavy loss of life. There were 1.4 million deaths..
The Great War was fought mainly in Europe but it was called a world war because it was also fought on fronts throughout the world. It was particularly traumatic for France because France suffered the most heavy loss of life. There were 1.4 million deaths..

2. There are many war cemeteries in northern France and Belgium where the fighting took place. The English fought alongside the French to save Europe from German domination.

3. France is a country which shares its borders with Germany so when Germany was trying to take over other countries France was one of the first countries it moved into as it moved westwards
France is a country which shares its borders with Germany so when Germany was trying to take over other countries France was one of the first countries it moved into as it moved westwards.

4. It was a war of trench warfare
It was a war of trench warfare. These are French soldiers taking a break before they prepare for another round of fighting. French solders were nicknamed “les Poilus” This means hairy people. Why? Because they lived in horrible conditions , in trenches surrounded by mud and rats. They had no opportunity to wash or shave. The only light at the end of their tunnel was the packages they received from home of food and letters.
It was a war of trench warfare. These are French soldiers taking a break before they prepare for another round of fighting. French solders were nicknamed “les Poilus” This means hairy people. Why? Because they lived in horrible conditions , in trenches surrounded by mud and rats. They had no opportunity to wash or shave. The only light at the end of their tunnel was the packages they received from home of food and letters.

5. These soldiers are “going over the top”
These soldiers are “going over the top”. This means they had to climb out of their trench and march into “no man’s land”, the stretch of land which separated the two opposing sides.

6. Marching into “no man’s land”
Marching into “no man’s land”. They would be met by artillery fire and bomb blasts from the Germans. Most of them would die either immediately or slowly from terrible wounds.

7. In every town and village of France there is a memorial to the men from the village who died in the war. The soldiers of the Great War were nicknamed “Poilus”. This word means someone who is courageous and manly.
In every town and village there is a memorial to the men who died from their village in the war. The soldiers of the Great War were nicknamed “Poilus”. This word means someone who is courageous and manly.

8. . The war ended when the French and English governments signed the armistice with Germany on November 11, 1918.
The war ended when the French and English governments signed the armistice with Germany on November 11, 1918

10. Every November 11th in France is a national holiday
Every November 11th in France is a national holiday. A ceremony takes place to commemorate this date at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. This is led by the President of France.
Every November 11th in France is a national holiday. A ceremony takes place to commemorate this date at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. This is led by the President of France.

11. French soldiers parading down the Champs Elysees towards the Arc de Triomphe for the ceremony.

12. The French flag flies at the Arc de Triomphe over the grave of an unknown soldier, a soldier who died in the 1918 war but who has never been identified.
The French flag flies at the Arc over the grave of an unknown soldier, a soldier who died in the 1918 war but who has never been identified

13. On his grave an eternal flame burns as a permanent reminder to the French of the 1.4 million men who gave their lives for the rest of France to live as free citizens, not under the rule of Germany.
On his grave an eternal flame burns as a permanent reminder to the French of the 1.4 million men who gave their lives for the rest of France to live as free citizens, not under the rule of Germany.

14. President Hollande laying a wreath of three colours, like the three colours of the French flag which is called the tricolore. The president wears the Bleuet de la France pinned to his buttonhole. The use of the poppy was inspired by the World War I poem "In Flanders Fields". Its opening lines refer to the many poppies that were the first flowers to grow in the churned-up earth of soldiers' graves in Flanders, a region of Europe that overlies a part of Belgium.[3] It is written from the point of view of the dead soldiers and, in the last verse, they call on the living to continue the conflict.[4] The poem was written by Canadian physician, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, on 3 May 1915 after witnessing the death of his friend, a fellow soldier, the day before. The poem was first published on 8 December 1915 in the London-based magazine Punch.
President Hollande laying a wreath of three colours, like the three colours of the French flag which is called the tricolore. The president wears the Bleuet de la France pinned to his buttonhole. This cornflower is the symbol of memory for the victims of war, widows, and orphans. It is similar to the British Commonwealth remembrance poppy. The sale of "bleuet de France"on 11 November is used to finance charitable works for those causes.

15. The wreath that President Hollande lays by the eternal flame under the Arc de Triomphe.

16. This ceremony mirrors the one at the cenotaph which takes place in England on the closest Sunday to November 11, not usually on the actual date.
This ceremony in Paris mirrors the one at the cenotaph which takes place in England on the closest Sunday to November 11, not usually on the actual date.

17. In England our flower which symbolizes the death of these soldiers is the poppy but in France it’s the cornflower.
A field of “bleuets” (cornflowers) in northern France. In England our flower which symbolizes the death of these soldiers is the poppy.

18. The Bleuet symbolizes the support and solidarity of France for its war veterans, their widows and orphans.

19. The ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe is mirrored throughout France where war veterans parade to their war memorial and lay wreaths. The day is marked by music and marching bands which most French people attend because it is a public holiday
The ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe is mirrored throughout France where war veterans parade to their war memorial and lay wreaths. The day is marked by music and marching bands which most French people attend because it is a public holiday.

22. Lazare Ponticelli Died Jan 20th 2008
The last French “poilu” died on Jan 20th 2008 at the age of After his death it was decided that the Nov 11th would from then on commemorate the deaths of all soldiers who fought and died for France in operations.
Died Jan 20th 2008
The last French “poilu” died on Jan 20th 2008 at the age of After his death it was decided that the Nov 11th would from then on commemorate the deaths of all soldiers who fought and died for France in operations.