World News for Students of English

14-08-2014 15:00

The remains of World War One soldiers killed almost a hundred years ago have finally been discovered due to the work of a group of archaeologists.

In the region of Champagne-Ardenne, in northeast France on Friday afternoon, local volunteers unearthed a network of trenches and tunnels filled in by farmers after the war.

This is the complete skeleton of an unidentified German soldier which is housed in the region’s archaeological warehouse.

The soldier was aged between 20 and 25-years-old when he was killed, and the uniform and equipment found buried in his grave meant it was possible to identify him as German.

The former natural fortress saw vast activity on Champagne’s far-right front line in the Great War of 1914-1918.

Its pivotal position between the Champagne and Argonne fronts made it an important strategic point for both sides, with both German and French forces taking control over the complex puzzle of trenches during the war.

Over 16 million people lost their lives during World War One, and at the time it was described as the war to end all wars.

Difficult words: volunteer (person who does something without being paid for it), unearthed (dig up), trench (narrow channel in the ground), warehouse (large building for many things), fortress (large strong building for defending an important area), pivotal (very important).

Source: www.itn.co.uk