French cemetery 14-18

Walking through the cemetery in Collarmont means remembering all of the French citizens who fought and died in 1914 to save our nation. Even today, we understand that it’s important to pay our respects to them when we think of the sacrifices that these soldiers made for us.

World War I in Belgium

The cemetery is located in the countryside, between Carnière and Anderlues. A vigorous battle between the Germans and the French took place on this symbolic site on 22 August 1914.

While German troops advanced quickly, the French held out longer, despite being outnumbered. The fight ultimately resulted in the deaths of just under 1,000 men on our side, four times more than our enemies.

The 1914–1918 French military cemetery

Once you pass through the gates of the cemetery, you find more than 300 graves. They are all in line, on a well-tended lawn.

Several icons can be seen, depending on the denomination of the soldiers in question. You will see Latin crosses, which are the most common, but also Muslim and Jewish steles and even steles from other denominations and free-thinkers. A beautiful symbol of the battle they fought together, in spite of their differences.

Memorial tourism

This commemorative site allows you to immerse yourself in a very personal history. It allows you to understand that these people, who died in combat, could have been your grandparents or great-grandparents.

A historian has recorded all the graves in the cemetery for posterity. He noticed that one of the graves did not correspond to any soldier. After much research, he realised that the name had been misspelled. He informed the authorities of his research in order to get the name changed. He also contacted the family to let them know about the mistake. The family was very touched. The plaque has also been amended.