One million four hundred thousand soldiers died during four years of fighting in World War I, leaving behind shattered families and a lasting legacy of grief.
On Wednesday, November 11, 2026, the city of Angers in Maine-et-Loire observed the 108th anniversary of the 1918 Armistice with public tributes to the fallen, ouest-france.fr reported.
Hundreds of residents gathered on Place Leclerc under sunny autumn skies, uniting multiple generations of families alongside veterans. The 6th Engineering Regiment fanfare provided musical accompaniment for the solemn morning assembly.
Raymond Yeddou, the sub-prefect of Angers, read the official message from Catherine Vautrin, the Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans.
“Each ceremony is a promise tenue pour l’éternité,” Yeddou read from the statement. “Aujourd’hui devant les monuments aux morts, souvenons-nous que la France appartient à tous ceux qui l’aiment et qui la servent,” said Catherine Vautrin, la ministre des Armées et des Anciens Combattants.
Following official speeches and wreath-laying ceremonies honoring soldiers who died in 2026, local school children sang the French national anthem. La commémoration à Angers s’inscrit dans le cadre d’un hommage rendu aux soldats morts pour la France à l’occasion de l’Armistice. Earlier historical appeals, such as Anatole France’s address at the Sorbonne on April 9, 1916, highlighted the immense human cost of European conflicts and the defense of democratic values, according to imprescriptible.fr.
Hundreds of local residents, children, parents, and representatives of veterans’ associations gathered on Place Leclerc for the event.
* Who performed the music during the event? The fanfare of the 6th Engineering Regiment provided the musical accompaniment for the ceremony.
* Whose official message was read at the gathering? Raymond Yeddou, the sub-prefect of Angers, read the official tribute written by Catherine Vautrin, the Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans.