| The Unknown Warrior 02:03 - Oct 7 with 3018 views | Joe_bradshaw |
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. Once 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. The other three were reburied.
A French Honour Guard was selected and stood by the coffin overnight of the chosen soldier overnight.
On the morning of the 8th November, a specially designed coffin made of oak from the grounds of Hampton Court arrived and the Unknown Warrior was 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 King 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, he was saluted by Marechal Foche and loaded onto HMS Vernon bound for Dover. The coffin stood on the deck covered in wreaths, surrounded by the French Honour Guard.
Upon arrival at Dover, the Unknown Warrior was met with a nineteen gun salute - something that was normally only reserved for Field Marshals.
A special train had been arranged and he was then conveyed to Victoria Station, London.
He remained there overnight, and, on the morning of the 11th of November, he was finally taken to Westminster Abbey.
The idea of the unknown warrior was thought of by a Padre called David Railton who had served on the front line during the Great War the union flag he had used as an altar cloth whilst at the front, was the one that had been draped over the coffin.
It was his intention that all of the 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...
THIS is the reason we wear poppies.
We do not glorify war.
We remember - with humility - the great and the ultimate sacrifices that were made, not just in this war, but in every war and conflict where our service personnel have fought - to ensure the liberty and freedoms that we now take for granted.
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. |  |
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| The Unknown Warrior on 03:58 - Oct 7 with 3001 views | Treforys_Jack |
Wow , fantastic post. |  | | |
| The Unknown Warrior on 15:38 - Oct 7 with 2931 views | britferry |
Oops... didnt see yours LOL |  |
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| The Unknown Warrior on 16:14 - Oct 7 with 2923 views | Dr_Winston |
The Unknown Warrior was awarded a symbolic Congressional Medal of Honour in 1921. A month later the US Unknown Warrior was awarded a VC in return. |  |
| Pain or damage don't end the world. Or despair, or f*cking beatings. The world ends when you're dead. Until then, you got more punishment in store. Stand it like a man... and give some back. |
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| The Unknown Warrior on 16:44 - Oct 7 with 2916 views | britferry |
I remember hearing about this, so just looked it up...
Vietnam Unknown
Partial skeletal remains were retrieved from the area of the crash five months after the crash. An Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) patrol had found the remains at a crash site in 1972, as well as an ID card, dog tags, a wallet containing a family picture, part of a flight suit, and the remnant of a pistol holster. The ARVN turned the remains and the other crash site items over to Captain William C. Parnell, who was then serving as an operations officer at An Loc. The name he read on the ID card was Air Force Lt. Michael Blassie. Captain Parnell wrapped the remains, and the other items found at the crash site, in plastic and held them overnight.
Parnell soon turned the remains over to the Saigon mortuary, along with the ID card and other items. The remains were eventually sent to a search and recovery center in Thailand before being forwarded to the Army’s central identification lab in Hawaii. They were initially identified by Mortuary Affairs as Blassie. The remains were reclassified as unknown when their projected age and height were judged not to match Blassie's.
Blassie's unidentified remains were designated as the Vietnam Unknown service member by Medal of Honor recipient U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Allan J. Kellogg Jr. during a ceremony at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on May 17, 1984, and were transported aboard the USS Brewton to Naval Air Station Alameda. The remains were then sent to Travis Air Force Base on May 24 and arrived at Andrews Air Force Base the following day.
Many Vietnam veterans, President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan visited Blassie as he lay in state in the U.S. Capitol. An Army caisson carried his coffin from the Capitol to the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, May 28, 1984. President Reagan presided over the funeral and presented the Medal of Honor to the Vietnam Unknown. The President also acted as next of kin to the unidentified Blassie by accepting the interment flag at the end of the ceremony.
DNA identification had yet to advance to its current state when Blassie's remains were repatriated, and he lay in the Tomb of the Unknowns up to 1998, with visitors paying respects but unaware of his identity.
Articles in U.S. Veteran Dispatch in 1994 and 1996 had made the claim that Blassie was the Unknown, drawing on Defense Department records. A CBS News report in January 1998 subsequently made the same claim. They interviewed Parnell, by then a retired Colonel living in Florida. He related his story of wrapping the remains, with the dog tags, in plastic. After Blassie's family secured permission, the remains were exhumed on May 14, 1998. Based on mitochondrial DNA testing, Department of Defense scientists were able to identify Blassie's remains. On June 30, 1998, the Defense Department announced that the Vietnam Unknown had been identified. On July 10, Blassie's remains were transported to his family in Saint Louis, Missouri, and were later reinterred at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. The Medal of Honor bestowed upon him as the Vietnam Unknown was not transferred to Blassie after his remains were identified.
Following the removal of Blassie's remains from the Tomb of the Unknowns, the slab marking "Vietnam" over the crypt that once held his remains was replaced with one that read "Honoring and Keeping Faith with America's Missing Servicemen", as it was decided that the Vietnam crypt would remain a vacant cenotaph.
As the Medal of Honor was ceremoniously presented to the unidentified remains, it did not transfer to Blassie — who did receive four awards, including the Silver Star, on his own merit for documented valor, heroism and achievements during his actions in combat in Vietnam.
I guess it could be done with ours too but I hope it never does happen, he should be left to "rest in peace" as our Unknown [Post edited 7 Oct 2020 16:47]
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| The Unknown Warrior on 17:06 - Oct 7 with 2910 views | onehunglow |
Joe.Hell of a story that.Thanks | |
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| The Unknown Warrior on 17:10 - Oct 7 with 2908 views | Flashberryjack |
| The Unknown Warrior on 16:14 - Oct 7 by Dr_Winston |
The Unknown Warrior was awarded a symbolic Congressional Medal of Honour in 1921. A month later the US Unknown Warrior was awarded a VC in return. |
I never knew that, thanks for sharing that very interesting piece of info. |  |
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| The Unknown Warrior on 17:15 - Oct 7 with 2901 views | britferry |
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| The Unknown Warrior on 17:34 - Oct 7 with 2895 views | onehunglow |
Im hoping BLM don't railroad Remembrance Day.
We are seeing history re-taught as it is | |
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| The Unknown Warrior on 20:54 - Oct 7 with 2853 views | Kilkennyjack |
| The Unknown Warrior on 17:34 - Oct 7 by onehunglow |
Im hoping BLM don't railroad Remembrance Day.
We are seeing history re-taught as it is |
Why would they ?
Many non-white soldiers have found and died for this union.
Its not just for white people. |  |
| Beware of the Risen People
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| The Unknown Warrior on 21:03 - Oct 7 with 2848 views | onehunglow |
Because they are trying to warp things.
Of course we have BAME.
Indians alone provided thousands.
On remembrance day ALL ARE remembered,including British soldiers killed in Ireland,a country" neutral "in both world wars. | |
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| The Unknown Warrior on 21:26 - Oct 7 with 2833 views | trampie |
| The Unknown Warrior on 21:03 - Oct 7 by onehunglow |
Because they are trying to warp things.
Of course we have BAME.
Indians alone provided thousands.
On remembrance day ALL ARE remembered,including British soldiers killed in Ireland,a country" neutral "in both world wars. |
Ireland was part of the Union in the first world war and fought the Germans alongside the rest of the UK. |  |
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| The Unknown Warrior on 20:48 - Nov 2 with 2720 views | britferry |
I like the poppy  | |
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| The Unknown Warrior on 14:44 - Nov 7 with 2567 views | onehunglow |
| The Unknown Warrior on 21:26 - Oct 7 by trampie |
Ireland was part of the Union in the first world war and fought the Germans alongside the rest of the UK. |
Whilst at the same time fighting the very people they were fighting with then..That and resisted conscription. | |
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| The Unknown Warrior on 20:58 - Nov 7 with 2536 views | theloneranger |
"The Soldier's Final Inspection"
The soldier stood and faced God,
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his brass.
"Step forward now, you soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To my Church have you been true?"
The soldier squared his shoulders and said,
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't.
Because those of us who carry guns,
Can't always be a saint.
I've had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was tough.
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny,
That wasn't mine to keep...
Though I worked a lot of overtime,
When the bills just got too steep.
And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear.
And sometimes, God, forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place,
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here, Lord,
It needn't be so grand.
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints had often trod.
As the soldier waited quietly,
For the judgement of his God.
"Step forward now, you soldier,
You've borne your burdens well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
Author: Sgt Joshua Helterbran |  |
| Everyday above ground ... Is a good day! 😎 |
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| The Unknown Warrior on 22:39 - Nov 7 with 2524 views | Boundy |
If I may add
Tommy
I WENT into a public 'ouse to get a pint o' beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, " We serve no red-coats here."
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:
O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' " Tommy, go away " ;
But it's " Thank you, Mister Atkins," when the band begins to play
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it's " Thank you, Mister Atkins," when the band begins to play.
I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,
But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' " Tommy, wait outside ";
But it's " Special train for Atkins " when the trooper's on the tide
The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,
O it's " Special train for Atkins " when the trooper's on the tide.
Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap.
An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.
Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an` Tommy, 'ow's yer soul? "
But it's " Thin red line of 'eroes " when the drums begin to roll
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it's " Thin red line of 'eroes, " when the drums begin to roll.
We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;
While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an` Tommy, fall be'ind,"
But it's " Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind
There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
O it's " Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind.
You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an` Chuck him out, the brute! "
But it's " Saviour of 'is country " when the guns begin to shoot;
An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
An 'Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool - you bet that Tommy sees! | |
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