100th Anniversary: Local museum depicts soldiers' day-to-day life

World
Europe

02:50

For decades, a man living in the Verdun region has been searching for remnants of the war in the fields around his house. His collection has turned into a museum depicting the day-to-day life of the soldiers who fought there. Our correspondent Stefan de Vries reports from Romagne-sous-Montfaucon in Northeast France.

Fifteen thousand graves lined up geometrically. Over the past 20 years, Jean-Paul de Vries has been living in this French village. He visits this place at least twice a week.

JEAN-PAUL DE VRIES DIRECTOR, MUSEUM ROMAGNE "You should remember that all of these boys were not older than 19, 21. These men never, ever have heard their own kids laughing."

The fighting a century ago in the north of France was fierce, especially toward the end of the war.

JEAN-PAUL DE VRIES DIRECTOR, MUSEUM ROMAGNE "I think, in the last six weeks, the U.S. lost 117 thousand men."

The First World War was the War of the Trenches - still visible as scars in the earth.

STEFAN DE VRIES ROMAGNE-SOUS-MONTFAUCON "These are the German trenches. And just fifty meters opposite, there were the French trenches. The soldiers of each front were so close that they could literally hear each other breathing. The stand-off lasted for four, long years."

Both sides dug tunnels under the enemy line and filled them with explosives. To devastating effect.

STEFAN DE VRIES ROMAGNE-SOUS-MONTFAUCON "This used to be the peaceful village of Vauquois. But in 1914, it was split in the middle by the frontline. It was then destroyed by huge explosions. On top of here was a hill and a church. The monument behind me marks the spot of the school and the town hall. All that's left now are enormous craters."

World War One changed Jean-Paul's life. For decades, he has been roaming the local fields, looking for artifacts.

JEAN-PAUL DE VRIES DIRECTOR, MUSEUM ROMAGNE "What you find most is shrapnel. Here, the screw of the detonator. This is a bone of meat. There were many soldiers here, they had to eat. So a lot of garbage. Another screw. Pottery. This is only five minutes and it's not one of the best fields."

His collection is so large, he opened a museum.

JEAN-PAUL DE VRIES DIRECTOR, MUSEUM ROMAGNE "This is typical of the First World War. This is what they had every day, two liters of wine, they call it wine but it was more vinegar. But they had to, water was poisonous."

With his work, Jean-Paul is keeping the memory of the war alive. This is Stefan de Vries, for CGTN, in Romagne-sous-Montfaucon.