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Top 10 Sensational Facts about the Unknown Warrior

The unknown warrior wood plaque- Author; Megalit-

Often known as ‘the tomb of the unknown warrior,’ the British grave of the unknown warrior holds an unidentified member of the British armed forces who was killed on a European battlefield during world war 1.

He was buried in London on 11th November 1920 in Westminster, Abbey. He was carried back from France and buried here. His grave is one of the most important war memorials in Britain.

1. The Unknown Warrior represents soldiers, pilots and sailors who were lost at sea

Burial of the British Unknown Warrior in 1920- Author; Frank O. Salisbury-

General Louis John Wyatt was a military man who had been promoted to the post of general officer in command of British troops in France and Flanders in 1920. He was also the director of graves, registrations and enquiries.

It’s in this capacity that on 8th November 1920, he chose the body of a soldier to represent the unknown warrior.

The unidentified body who could be from any background was chosen to represent all the soldiers, pilots and sailors who were lost in wars. He would be buried among kings in Westminster, Abbey with a reverence he could never have imagined in life.

So many men died during world war 1, having been gunned down in the fields or drowned in trenches as they filled with water.

When the war ended, their bodies were exhumed and reburied in nearby cemeteries. Many of them however, could never be identified. These were the men that would be forever missing or presumed dead.

The widows or bereaved left by such soldiers could now visit the unknown warrior’s grave and feel some sense of comfort at the very least.

2. Idea of the unknown warrior came from Reverend David Railton

Rev David Railton’s grave 100 years after the dedication of the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior- Author; Ronald Cameron-

The idea of having an individual who would represent all the unidentified soldiers came from Rev. David Railton, a chaplain in the army.

In 1916, as he was burying a comrade in Armentieres, Northern France, he saw a small wooden cross marking a grave with the words, “An Unknown British Soldier” written on it.

Railton wrote and said that the words caused him to think of what he would do so as to ease the pain of fathers, mothers, friends, wives etc.

He thus pursued the words, “Let this body- this symbol of him- be carried over the sea of his native land,” and thought of a way the lost soldiers would be represented.

He wrote to Sir Douglas Haig and the dean of Westminster, the Rt Rev Herbert Ryle and King George V. Although the king needed some persuading initially, the idea gradually gained momentum.

3. The body of the unknown warrior was chosen randomly.

The arrival of the Unknown Warrior at Dover- Unknown author-

Contrary to rumours that circulated when the unknown warrior was chosen and buried, his identity wasn’t known from the beginning.

As Wyatt clarified in a telegram he wrote on November 11th 1939, two months after world war 2 had broken out, he selected one body among the four that lay on stretchers, each covered by a union jack.

With the assistance of colonel Gell, he selected one body randomly and other bodies were removed and reburied in the military cemetery outside his headquarters at St. Pol.

He didn’t even know the area from which the body he selected had come and no one else could know it. It is said he could have been blindfolded while selecting.

4. The unknown warrior was conferred the congressional medal of honour

Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey together with the American Congressional Medal of Honour- Author; W & K London-

On behalf of the United States of America, General Pershing conferred the congressional medal of freedom to the unknown warrior. This was on 17th October 1921 and the medal now hangs in a frame on a pillar near the grave.

In October 2013, the congressional medal of honour society presented the society’s official flag to the unknown warrior and this is framed below the medal.

5. He was presented with the padre’s flag

At a dedication service on 11th November 1921, the flag was hoisted on the pillar above the unknown warrior’s grave.

A soldier from the 17th London Division at the time, Sgt. Major Harry Evans, climbed a tall ladder to fix the flag with the 5th brigade of the 47th London division looking on.

It remained there for many years before it was moved to St. George’s chapel in 1964.

Before the flag was presented to the Abbey, the flag had been cleaned so that there were no bloodstains on it. The flag was laid on the high altar and Charles, Prince of Wales laid a replica of the original wreath on the grave.

6. The unknown warrior helped to bring closure to people who lost someone in wars

Commemoration of the unknown warrior in 2012- Author; Sgt. Jacob H. Harrer-

By having the unknown warrior as a representation of all soldiers who died in world war 1 and other following wars, it helped bring closure to people who had lost someone in wars.

It became a symbol of also acknowledging all soldiers who died but were not identified and nobody knew of their background.

As Railton said when he came up with the idea of the unknown warrior after seeing a grave marked, ‘an unknown British soldier,’ ” How that grave caused me to think… I thought and thought, what can I do to ease the pain of fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sweethearts, wives and friends?”

The symbolic significance of the Unknown Warrior cannot, therefore, be overstated.

This is because as argued by Danielle Crozier, the curator who looked into Wyatt鈥檚 story and realised that he had left behind an extraordinary legacy by choosing the Unknown Warrior, 鈥淚t was an inspirational idea 鈥� the idea of bringing back someone who could have been anybody 鈥� to allow those families, the daughters, sisters, the wives, to think, 鈥榶ou never know, he could be mine鈥�. I think the Unknown Warrior gave so much hope to people. It allowed them to grieve.鈥�

7. Had the Britain torch of remembrance lit at his grave

In November 1945, the dean of Westminster was asked to rekindle the Belgian Torch of Remembrance which had been extinguished by the Nazis, at the grave of the unknown warrior.

Each year since a short ceremony has been held in the Abbey for the lighting of the torch. It is now called the ‘British Torch of Remembrance.’

8. There was a vigil at his grave

tomb of the unknown warrior- Author; Mike-

On the evening of 30th June 2016, on the eve of the battle, Queen Elizabeth and Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh attended a short service.

This was commemorating the eve of the battle on 1st July 1916 when the British and French armies launched an offensive near the river Somme in France.

Afterwards, an all-night vigil was kept at the unknown warrior’s grave until a service of requiem on the morning of July 1st which was the start of the battle.

9. The unknown warrior was given an honour of the highest calibre

King George V following the gun carriage bearing the Unknown Warrior, Whitehall, 11 November 1920- Author; Horace Nicholls-

Despite his initial reluctance towards the idea of an unknown warrior, on 11th November 1920, his coffin was placed on a gun carriage and drawn by 6 black horses.

The journey began through the crowd lined streets and made its first stop in Whitehall, where the monument that had been erected in honour of the soldier was unveiled by King George V. 

The king placed his wreath of red roses and bay leaves on the coffin, then the carriage with pallbearers comprising of senior commanders of the majesty’s armed forces, followed by the king, members of the royal family and ministers of state, made their way to the Abbey.

It is here that the unknown warrior was reburied and dedicated. His burial was the last burial permitted in Westminster Abbey.

10. He made other unknowns from World war 2 and the Koren war be honoured

After world war 2, some Americans supported the idea of inferring and honouring an unknown from that war.

Although the start of the Korean war in 1950 delayed the plans, in August 1956, President Dwight Eisenhower approved the selection and interment of unknowns from the world was 2 and the Korean war.

Because it was fought on four continents, WW2 complicated the selection of the unknown since the chosen needed to represent all American dead, not just those from one theatre of the war.

Thus in 1958, 13 bodies were exhumed across North Africa and Europe and brought to the Epinal American cemetery and memorial in France.

On May 12th 1958, major general Edward O’Neill selected the unknown who would represent the Tran-Atlantic theatre of WW2. He did this by placing a red and white wreath on one of the 13 caskets.

Similarly, 4 bodies were exhumed from the Korean War and were buried at the national memorial cemetery of the pacific. On May 15th 1958, Army master sergeant Ned Lyle selected the unknown for the Korean war.

The Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey, November 1920- Author; Horace Nicholls-

The unknown warrior motivated other nations to honour and recognize their unknowns from the wars that happened thereafter.