Web: France, World War 1 Casualty Lists - Partial, 1914-1918

General collection information

This collection contains records documenting casualties of war from the Loire-Atlantique department of France between 1914 and 1918. The information in this collection was compiled through “Loire-Atlantique Remembers,” a virtual memorial created to honor the hundredth anniversary of the Armistice.

Using the collection

Records in the collection may include the following information:

• Name
• Birthdate
• Birthplace
• Death date
• Death place
• Occupation
• Unit
• Rank
• Recruitment office
• Class

Some records may contain photos or personal documents. When researching your family, it’s useful to remember that names of locations may have changed over time. At the time of World War I, the Loire-Atlantique department was named “Loire-Inférieure.” The name was changed to Loire-Atlantique in 1957. If you don’t speak French, knowing a few common words can aid in your search: Poilu(s) is slang for French infantrymen who served during World War I. Its literal translation means “hairy one” and refers to the long hair and beards popular at the time. Morte(s) is French for “the dead.” Lieu de is French for “place of.” Naissance is French for “place of birth.” Décès is French for “death.” Nom is French for “name.”

Collection in context

After its defeat in the Franco-Prussian War in 1871, France introduced a mandatory two-year military service for men over the age of 21. The required service was increased to three years in 1913. As a result, when France entered World War I in 1914, the country was able to mobilize almost three million soldiers within days. Over the course of the war, the conscription age would be raised to 45, and almost nine million men would serve. World War I brought about major changes in warfare (including the use of poisonous gas and aircraft) and living conditions were especially harsh; as a result, the mortality rate was high. World War I left approximately 1.4 million French soldiers dead and 4.2 million wounded. The Loire-Inférieure department alone lost 26,000 soldiers.

Bibliography

Beaupré, Nicolas. “France.” International Encyclopedia of the First World War. Last Modified October 8, 2014. .

Loire-Atlantique Archives Départementales. “Digitized Archives.” Last Modified July 25, 2021. .

Loire-Atlantique Archives Départementales. “Digitized Archives.” Last Modified July 25, 2021. .

République Française. “Virtual Memorial to the Dead for France in Loire-Atlantique During the First World War.” Last Modified June 21, 2019. .