The unknown warrior

[vincemunday]

From a time before we became ashamed and afraid to honour the people who fought and died for the freedom of speech and liberty of those who now disgracefully denounce them.

On November 7th, 1920, in strictest secrecy, four unidentified British bodies were exhumed from temporary battlefield cemeteries at Ypres, Arras, the Asine and the Somme. None of the soldiers who did the digging were told why. The bodies were taken by field ambulance to GHQ at St-Pol-Sur-Ter Noise. There the bodies were draped with the union flag. Sentries were posted and Brigadier-General Wyatt and a Colonel Gell selected one body at random. A French honour guard was selected and stood by the coffin overnight. On the morning of the 8th, a specially designed coffin made of oak from the grounds of Hampton Court was brought and the unknown warrior placed inside. On top was placed a crusaders sword and a shield on which was inscribed '( a British Warrior who fell in the GREAT WAR 1914-1918 for K ing and country'.

On The 9th of November, the unknown warrior was taken by horse-drawn carriage through guards of honour and the sound of tolling bells and bugle calls to the quayside. There it was saluted by Marechal Foche and loaded onto HMS Vernon bound for Dover..... the coffin stood on the deck covered in wreaths and surrounded by the French honour guard.

On arrival at Dover, the unknown warrior was greeted with a 19 gun salute, normally only reserved for field marshals. He then traveled by special train to Victoria Station London.
He stayed there overnight and on the morning of the 11th of November, he was taken to Westminster Abbey.

The idea of the unknown warrior was thought of by a Padre called David Railton who had served at the front during the great war and it was the union flag he used as an altar cloth at the front, that had been draped over the coffin. It was his intention that all relatives of the 517,773 combatants whose bodies had not been identified could believe that the unknown warrior could very well be their lost husband, Father, brother or son....

Every year on the 11th of November we Remember the unknown warrior....At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, We will remember them.

[stereolab]

A timely and well written post reminding everyone of previous sacrifices. As a former RBL (S) Wreath Bearer for 10 years, I look back with considerable pride at Remembrance Day events at Fort William in the morning, and at Spean Bridge, with the Royal Marines in the afternoon.

[Faraday]

Thank you Vince.

Somewhere in Cyprus, my uncle Steve, who I never met, is buried. My father visited his grave a long time ago, & when he came home, told me about him.

[tamada]

Uncle George, a "tail-end Charlie" gunner, is buried in Holland. My parents were lucky to meet some Dutch airmen on a training jaunt at RAF Lossiemouth many years ago who did us proud and researched, found and eventually visited the grave on our behalf, placed flowers and sent photographs. This all in the days well before internet, google and FB.

Thanks Vince for that post that tells how Britain's unknown warrior came to be.