Names From the Past

The front lines during most of the First World War ran roughly north-south from Ypres, Belgium to just north of Compiegne, France, and then turned east toward Soissons, Reims, and Verdun. Compiegne is about half an hour from where I live, so in relatively little time travelled there are numerous sites of historical importance related to the "Grande Guerre", the Great War, to visit. In the town of Lassigny there is a German cemetery containing the remains of close to 3000 Germans who died in the area. This photo is just a small detail of a large plaque where all of their names (for those who could be identified) were marked, as well as their titles ; Infanterist, Leutnant, Sergeant, Gefreiter, Musketier, Jager, Marineartillerist, and so forth. All lives cut tragically short. Fortunately Erich Maria Remarque survived to write about his experiences in All Quiet On The Western Front, and in The Road Back.

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