More 6,000 victims from the Basque Country during the First World War. It was 3% of the population. 580 dead among the young people of Bayonne. Half of the victims were under 28.
Of the 22,000 inhabitants of the province of Soule at the time, 1,000 died in battle. In Labourd, the commune of Bassussarry had then lost 10% of its inhabitants. A family in this village had even lost 5 of their 8 children. The day of November 11 is not a public holiday in Spain, because the country had not participated in the conflict. Among the victims, there are still 77 citizens from southern Bidassoa who had fought in the Foreign Legion: 14 were from San Sebastian, 12 from Bilbao and 8 from Irun.
Commemorations
As every year, several municipalities organized ceremonies, in particular at Bayonne
with a tribute at 10 a.m. in front of the monument to the dead a mass at 11:30 a.m. at the cathedral. In Biarritz, the tributes begin at 9.30 a.m. with a ceremony in front of the Biarritz Olympique Stele at the Aguilera Stadium. At 10:30 a.m., a Mass of Remembrance will be said at the Sainte-Eugénie Church, and at 11:45 a.m. a Patriotic ceremony will take place at the War Memorial in Biarritz with the participation of students from the Jules-Ferry school.