- Title: History enthusiasts commemmorate battle of Verdun
- Date: 25th August 2018
- Summary: VERDUN, FRANCE (AUGUST 25, 2018) (REUTERS) PARTICIPANTS TO VERDUN BATTLE RECONSTITUTION DRESSED AS SOLDIERS MARCHING IN STREET ARMS USED DURING WORLD WAR 1 WITH SOLDIERS IN BACKGROUND RECONSTITUTED EMERGENCY AND NURSING TENTS GERMAN SOLDIERS WW1 PERIOD RIFLE GERMAN HISTORY ENTHUSIAST MARCO GRUN DRESSED AS MARINE COMMANDER WALKING PAST (SOUNDBITE) (English) 44-YEAR-OLD GERMAN HISTORY ENTHUSIAST, MARCO GRUN, SAYING: "It means a lot to us, for example to honour the dead, to remember for all those who have fallen, the lost generation of World War 1, and also the tragedy of Europe committing kind of a collective cultural suicide. And I think it is very important to think about it, to remember it and also to honour all those men who had fallen may they be French or German or British and so on." VARIOUS OF SOLDIERS MARCHING AMERICAN AND AUSTRALIAN FLAGS UNITED KINGDOM FLAG RECONSTITUTED MILITARY CAMP POLISH SOLDIERS (SOUNDBITE) (French) 63-YEAR-OLD HISTORY ENTHUSIAST DRESSED AS WW1 FRENCH SOLDIER, ALAIN BOUYSSOU. SAYING: "We have ancestors who fought during World War 1 which enabled us to come back to our roots. We found documents and archive file which nourished this passion. (We are also doing it) to share all this and seeing people coming to us with questions, who are interested in it, it makes us think that we are not doing all this for nothing." GERMAN SOLDIERS MARCHING 47-YEAR-OLD HISTORY ENTHUSIAST DRESSED AS A MESSENGER AMANDA GAGE STANDING IN ATTENTION (SOUNDBITE) (English) 47-YEAR-OLD HISTORY ENTHUSIAST DRESSED AS A MESSENGER, AMANDA GAGE, SAYING: "We are here to commemorate the brave people, the soldiers, the civilians who fought and defended Verdun and fought over the years. And also to bring their memory and make sure the next generation takes this memory onboard. Because, at my age, I am not going to be here forever so we need to make sure that the next generation is on and is doing that. And it is glorious to have so many nations here today and have so many young people coming through and starting potentially just wearing the uniform but then becoming part of it and feeling the emotion and feeling the actual history too." VARIOUS OF BRITISH SOLDIERS SOLDIERS MARCHING AUDIENCE WATCHING WW1 PERIOD CAR AUDIENCE WAITING FOR PARADE 15TH CENTURY CASTLE 'LA TOUR CHAUSSEE' IN CENTER OF VERDUN GERMAN SOLDIERS MARCHING FRENCH SOLDIERS MARCHING POLISH SOLDIERS ON HORSES AUDIENCE WATCHING WW1 PERIOD TANK VERDUN VICTORY MONUMENT
- Embargoed: 8th September 2018 23:15
- Keywords: France Verdun soldiers battle
- Location: VERDUN, FRANCE
- City: VERDUN, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Human Interest / Brights / Odd News,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA0018UOQO2H
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: About one thousand history enthusiasts in period uniforms gathered on Saturday (August 25) in the French town of Verdun to commemorate the eponymous 1916 battle, one of the deadliest of the war with more than 700,000 casualties.
On the hundredth anniversary of the World War One armistice, the yearly celebration in memory of fallen soldiers bears a particular meaning.
"It is very important to think about it, to remember it and also to honour all those men who had fallen, may they be French or German or British and so on," said 44-year-old German history enthusiast Marco Grun.
Wearing period costumes and arms, participants re-enacted moments of WW1 soldiers' daily life and walked from a reconstructed military camp to a victory monument in the streets of Verdun.
Participants came from eighteen countries including Germany and the United Kingdom but also Italy, Poland and Australia. People of all ages could be found in the ranks of soldiers to the delight of those wishing to perpetuate the memory of those who died fighting in the deep trenches of eastern France.
Fought between the French and German armies from February 21 to December 18 1916, the battle of Verdun was the largest and longest of the western front during World War 1. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2018. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None