Wednesday 11 November 2020

The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior




Tomb of the Unknown Warrior - Westminster Abbey (Photo Mike from England)

Today is Armistice Day and it also marks the 100th anniversary of the day the Unknown Warrior was buried in Westminster Abbey. 

The idea of the Unknown Warrior came from the Rev David Railton, who had served as a chaplain on the Western Front during World War One. In 1916 
he noticed a grave in a back garden in Armentieres which had a rough cross marked "An Unknown British Soldier.

The bodies of four British servicemen were exhumed from four battle areas, the Somme, Ypres, arras and Aisne, one was selected and was transported back to Britain where he was placed into a coffin made of two-inch thick oak from a tree which had grown in Hampton Court Palace garden. The coffin plate bears the inscription "A British Warrior who fell in the Great War 1914-1918 for King and Country". The warrior could be from the Army, Navy or Air Force, and from any part of the British Isles, Dominions or Colonies. He represents all those who were killed and have no other memorial or known grave.

On 11 November 1920, the coffin was draped with a Union Flag and taken on a gun carriage to the Cenotaph, where the Queen's grandfather George V placed a wreath upon it. From there the coffin was taken to Westminster Abbey and he was buried in the west nave. 


After the service on 18th November the grave was filled with earth from the French battlefields and a temporary grave stone with the inscription:

A BRITISH WARRIOR WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918 FOR KING AND COUNTRY. GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS.

The United States of America, conferred the Congressional Medal of Honor on the Unknown Warrior on 17th October 1921, it hangs on a pillar near the grave. 

The present black marble stone was unveiled on 11 November 1921 at a special service. It is the only grave in the cathedral that noone is allowed to walk on.

More information about the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior -Westminster Abbey 




 

3 comments:

  1. That is beautiful information and today is A-day we all honor our military veterans who keep us safe around the world.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very true. Sad that wars continue, seems we never learn.

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