Volunteers pay respects at First World War camp

CENTENARY: Hundreds take part to keep alive memory of those who fought in conflict

Hundreds of volunteers from 18 countries have gathered in the northeastern French town of Verdun to keep alive the memory of those who fought under appalling conditions in the First World War.

Re-enactors dressed in soldiers’ uniforms brought to life a big military encampment in the town and held a military parade on Saturday, part of a series of events to mark the centenary of the end of the war.

Visitors could visualise soldiers’ daily lives during the war through the reconstruction of field kitchens, first aid posts and command posts.

Soldiers in khaki, grey or blue uniforms, depending on the country, and women wearing Red Cross nurses’ uniforms presented authentic objects and equipment from the 1914-1918 war.

Other volunteers were dispatched to key battlefield areas around Verdun.

They did not re-enact any fighting out of respect for the sites, which have since become a symbol of peace.

Instead, German and Polish volunteers shared tips about military clothes and historic anecdotes with their French, Australian and English neighbours at the encampment.

The 10-month battle at Verdun – the longest in the First World War – killed 163,000 French and 143,000 German soldiers and wounded hundreds of thousands of others.

Between February and December 1916, an estimated 60 million shells were fired.

Dozens of heads of state and government, including US President Donald Trump, are expected in Paris to commemorate the Armistice that ended the war on November 11.

AP. Volunteers re-enact the wartime conditions of Verdun.