February 21
05:10
2016
France remembered the horror of the Battle of Verdun on Sunday, exactly 100 years on from the first shots fired in World War I's longest battle, which became a symbol of resistance and suffering. Gathering at dawn in the forest of Caures, near Verdun, around 300 people in WWI military uniform marched down the narrow lane where the fighting started on February 21, 1916. The last veteran of Verdun died in 2008 so this year's commemorations have put the emphasis on educating the young, with thousands of French and German children attending the re-enactment.