Jean Lavigne, the mayor of Cumieres-le-Mort-Homme, poses for a photograph in his village near Verdun
Jean Lavigne, 72, the mayor of Cumieres-le-Mort-Homme, poses for a photograph in his village near Verdun, March 6, 2014. A hundred years after the guns fell silent in World War One, nine villages wiped out by fighting on France's bloodiest battleground continue to lead a ghostly existence. Their names still appear on maps and in government records. Mayors representing them are designated by local authorities. But most of the streets, shops, houses and people who once lived around the French army stronghold of Verdun are gone. Picture taken March 6, 2014. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler (FRANCE - Tags: CITYSCAPE MILITARY ANNIVERSARY POLITICS CONFLICT)
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