It was on November 11, 1918, that World War I came to an end.

For several nations, and especially France, the first world war was far more deadly than World War II, and that may explain why Armistice Day — known as Veterans Day in the U.S. — remains closely observed, particularly in rural France. Such as in the village where we live.

Yesterday, more than 100 people — from a population of 600 — attended a ceremony held near the western edge of the town, where stands the memorial for French soldiers from the village who died during World War I.

The statue features a soldier, wearing the helmet and uniform of the Great War, looking defiant, the barrel of his rifle clutched in his right hand.

Armistice Day remains important in France because of the death toll the country endured during the war — 1.4 million dead from a male population of 20 million.

Twenty-one of those dead came from this small village, which a century ago could not have had a population much greater than 700. Twenty-one dead young men … that would have left a hole in the town’s heart.

The names of the dead are inscribed on the back of the statue, broken out by year of death.

One family, by the name of Hot, is represented three times — by Lucien, Victor, who died in 1914, the first year of the war, and Jean, who died in 1918.

We have been told that a family named Hot still lives in the village. I would like to speak with someone from that family to see what is remembered of the young men who left the sunny south of the country to die in the soggy trenches of the north.

During the ceremony yesterday, the names of the dead were recited, French flags were planted around the memorial and a wreath was placed at its foot. A minute of silence was observed and the Marseillaise was sung.

And then, in very French fashion, the crowd adjourned to the boules ground, just behind the memorial, and raised a toast to the dead.

France was on the winning side of the First World War, but the victory came with enormous loss. In some ways, the country has never quite recovered. It certainly has not forgotten.