Between 1918 and 1925, more than 30,000 war memorials were inaugurated in France

Their omnipresence throughout the French landscape signifies a certain form of absence. We are used to them, so much so that we no longer see them. Some are imposing, others discrete. Some are visible from miles away, others you struggle to make out the bend of a path. Their aims are many, shinning a light on human sacrifice, working like an indictment against German warcrimes or celebrating victory.

But they share one mission: to uphold memory.

What follows is a photographic story of the traces of 100 years of memory.