A somber expanse of steel. That’s the Monument aux morts War memorial in Paris. It stretches 280 meters along the Père Lachaise Cemetery wall. This isn’t a towering monument. Instead it’s a long horizontal expanse. It’s a unique and powerful tribute.
This memorial remembers the Parisians who died in the First World War. For many years Paris lacked a central memorial for its war dead. Unlike many other French towns Paris had nothing of this kind. There were national monuments. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe is one example. Another is the monument to the glory of the French army at the Trocadero. Yet these memorials weren’t specifically for Parisians. They didn’t list individual names.
The Paris city government decided to rectify this absence. They commissioned a virtual monument. It’s a monumental task of remembrance. Years of research were needed to compile the names. Scholars meticulously examined the Golden Books. These books were kept in each arrondissement’s town hall. Families and local authorities recorded names between 1919 and 1939.
The Golden Books provide a valuable yet incomplete historical record. They are not a perfect match with lists of soldiers recorded as ‘Mort pour la France’. This designation was established by law in 1915. It applies to those whose death resulted from the war. This also includes non-combatants. However not all civilians killed in bombings are mentioned. Military personnel in rear areas who died in the same bombings may be included. There are also some discrepancies concerning illnesses. It’s hard to determine if the illness started before or during the war.
The virtual Monument aux morts includes 94415 names. These are people who lived in Paris and died in World War One. Duplicates and several missing names from the 3rd arrondissement have been accounted for. The Golden Book for the 3rd arrondissement is missing. The names of 1899 individuals were found in records from the civil registry. The list keeps being updated as more information becomes available. The memorial also includes contextual historical information. There is even a map of other memorial sites in Paris.
This horizontal memorial is more than just a list of names. It’s a journey of remembrance. Walk along the 280 meters of engraved steel. Reflect on the immense sacrifice of Parisians during the Great War. Take a moment of silence. The Monument aux morts War memorial is more than a monument. It is a testament to the resilience and sorrow of a city.