French towns remember WWI with Western Front hiking trail Tourist board in northern France has become the first in the country to install signs for visitors following the front line
Surprise find for Australian who traced mystery WW1 photo to France The grandfather of the woman who found it was deployed to the Somme with the Australian Imperial Force
New war monument in Paris honours animals that died in service The project was inspired by similar artworks in London
practical PHOTOS: World War One frontline bunker for sale in the Somme The partially-buried bunker saw action during numerous battles until the end of the war
What is the history behind Paris’ Tomb of the Unknown Soldier? This year sees the 100th anniversary of the tomb’s eternal flame
Why the French wear cornflower pins to commemorate their WW1 soldiers This Remembrance Day we look at the origins of the bleuet
Britons lay crosses at Commonwealth war graves in south-west France They are aiming to put remembrance crosses on all graves across the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine this year
Unknown US soldier from World War One buried in France, 105 years on The body of the soldier was discovered in 2022. He received an American military burial
The female French spy who saved more than a thousand British soldiers In WW1, Louise de Bettignies worked undercover for the British secret service. We look at her heroic life
Armistice Day: Why we remember Director of the Allied Forces Heritage Group Ian Reed, known for his work commemorating UK/France wartime cooperation, explains the history and symbols of Remembrance Day and why it is still important today
French unknown soldier at Arc de Triomphe was one of eight On the occasion of Armistice Day, we look at how the unknown soldier, buried under the Arc de Triomphe, was chosen
Poppy Lady of France recognised with a new biography in English Anna Guérin, the Frenchwoman behind the Poppy Appeal, is largely unknown but a new book aims to redress that and show why the campaigner was such a trailblazer
Why chrysanthemums are the French ‘flower of the dead’ As the festival of Toussaint and honouring the dead approaches, the chrysanthemum flower spikes in popularity. But why is this flower the French symbol of the dead?
How to buy a Remembrance Day poppy in France – or a bleuet With Armistice Day just around the corner, we explain how you can still support the Royal British Legion’s annual fundraising campaign from France British Legion in France widens remit as Poppy Appeal picks up pace Armentières’ historic bridge and bawdy song make for inspiring visit Did you know? A decoy Paris was planned in WW1 to trick German bombers
Retired French soldier hunts down war grave thieves and Nazi relics His passion for protecting the memory of the war dead started at five years old and a moving encounter with Charles de Gaulle Police seek witnesses after WWI memorial gates stolen in north France France votes to rehabilitate memory of soldiers shot in World War One What is the history behind Paris’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier? Did you know? First WW1 Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has French origins Rediscovered WW1 tunnel in France ‘still smells of gunpowder’
€180million facelift for WW1 bombarded French basilica Notre-Dame de Brebières basilica in the Somme was hit by 2,000 bombs but its golden statue held true to 'prophecies' not to fall until the war ended
Burial location of French WW1 soldier may end army tradition The only soldier identified among 14 World War One ‘poilus’ uncovered in the Ardennes might break longstanding tradition of being reburied in the national military cemetery
Property in France: Exploring Ardennes In this month's Property Watch feature, we look at the property market in historic Ardennes, north east France
Grave of French WW1 soldier killed on Nov 11 has wrong date Augustin Trébuchon's grave read November 10, but in fact he died just minutes before the bugles sounded on November 11, 1918
War artist gave new view of France's trench life Phyllida Shaw is a researcher and a writer who has published an extraordinarily beautiful and sensitive book about life in the trenches during World War One based on the sketches of artist Morris Meredith Williams – who served as an officer in France from June 1916 to the end of the war – and letters home to his wife, Alice, who was also an artist.
French family tragedy revealed in hidden love letters A chance find of a cache of 100-year-old letters during home renovations has revealed a World War One love story.
100 years later, war work goes on The task of identifying World War One soldiers and giving their remains a dignified burial continues
Memorial for French soldiers killed overseas unveiled Long-awaited monument finally installed in the 15th arrondissement of Paris
French local history – October 2019 The last earthly remains of villages that died for France - The Connexion recounts the history of nine Meuse villages that were destroyed in the First World War, but live on in French memory
Franco-British group’s century of care A foundation that looks after 850 people with various disabilities is celebrating its centenary and its long history of Franco-British co-operation.
An emotional walk along France's World War One trenchlines The intense journey was made more complicated by an incoming hip replacement, but was fuelled by a wish for peace
See 1918 peace treaty The ceasefire treaty signed by the Allied and German leaders on November 11, 1918 is on display at the Château de Vincennes until January 22 as the centrepiece of an exhibition on the armistice.
Britain cannot comprehend French suffering in WW1 When travelling around France it is hard not to be struck by the quality of its memorials to the dead of the Great War. A hundred years on – and we mark the centenary of the Armistice on 11 November – these often elaborate sculptures still make an eloquent statement of the sheer grief a nation felt at its suffering in those four years.
Focus on human tragedy of war, not the grim statistics Every single person who was militarily involved in World War I is now dead. That is some 65 million people, including 10 million who were killed at the time.
Special play marks war date in France A theatre group from the Gers is commemorating the centenary of the end of the First World War with a unique, original play based on their families’ histories.
Order by post for the Poppy Appeal in France Poppies for Remembrance are available in several regions and if there are none locally to you, you can order by post.
One death in millions unites villages across Channel This year is the centenary of the end of WW1 and the sacrifice of one soldier just three weeks before the Armistice has created an unforeseen bond between Bray-sur-Somme in northern France and Old Coulsdon in south London. Connexion writer Sally Ann Voak, who lives in Old Coulsdon, explains
Macron should have honoured WW1 fallen at Amiens It is hard to think of a more evocative symbol of what Emmanuel Macron is meant to stand for than Amiens.
Mata Hari: a life of light and shadow Dutch-born dancer and provocatrice Mata Hari caused scandal in Paris with her so-called spying activity during the First Word War. Samantha David asks which side she was really on and what became of her
Prince William to attend Battle of Amiens centenary Prince William, Duke of Cambridge is to visit Amiens cathedral (Somme, Hauts-de-France) on August 8 to take part in the centenary commemoration of the Battle of Amiens, with members of the public also invited.
Man finds grave of soldier grandfather, 102 years on A man from Bourgogne-Franche-Comté has finally discovered his grandfather’s grave, 102 years after the latter was confirmed as having died in the First World War.
Tour de France war ceremony to honour fallen cyclists A memorial ceremony in homage to the many French cyclists who died in the First World War (1914-18) is to take place ahead of the Tour de France second stage, in the Pays de la Loire, this Sunday July 8.
Dazzle ships that fooled German subs in WWI Similar artistic principles reused in modern-day France to improve road safety
Macron leads nation in Remembrance President lays wreath at Tomb of Unknown Soldier, while Prime Minister Edouard Philippe attends ceremony at clearing where the Armistice was signed 99 years ago
Notre-Dame de Paris hosts huge historical light show An impressive light show is being projected onto the famous façade of the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, in memory of World War One, and the building’s long history in France.
Australians upset at wind farm plan on WWI battlefield An wind turbine project in Pas-de-Calais is causing controversy as its intended site is a former battlefield, on which thousands of Australian soldiers died in World War I.
English-speaking 'Welcomers' wanted in Arras Volunteer English speakers needed for the town's WW1 commemorations and to boost its tourism image