The Story of the Unknown Warrior.

During the 1st World War over 1 Million soldiers were killed in Battles around the world. 500,000 of these have no grave or gravestone, they were buried where they fell. The British Government had decided not to bring any bodies back to bury as there were so many.

In 1916 the Reverend David Railton, who, while serving as an Army Chaplain in France, had seen a grave marked by a rough cross, which bore the pencil-written legend 'An Unknown British Soldier'. He wrote to the Prime Minister proposing that an unidentified British soldier from the battlefields in France be buried with ‘due ceremony’ in Westminster Abbey "amongst the kings" to represent the many hundreds of thousands of solidiers in un marked graves.

A group of men went out into the battlefields of France and brought back the body of an unknown soldier. Thousands of people lined the streets of London to pay their respects to the unknown soldier, for many this was a representation of their loved ones who had never returned from the war. The king of England laid a wreath on the coffin.

The body was laid finally to rest in Westminster Cathedral buried amongst Kings. Dressed in black, mothers and widows came to lay flowers

100 Soldiers who had received the highest accolade for bravery, the Victoria Cross, attended the ceremony. 100 women were in the congregation, each had lost their husbands and all their sons. 100 sandbags were used to bury the soldier, each containing soil from the battlefields.

In 1923 Lady Bowes-Lyon the future Queen Mother laid her wedding bouquet on the tomb in memory of her brother who never returned from the front line. Since then all royal brides lay their wedding flowers on the tomb, the latest being Kate Middleton who married Prince William in 2011

This is part of the tombstone inscription: BENEATH THIS STONE RESTS THE BODY OF A BRITISH WARRIOR UNKNOWN BY NAME OR RANK BROUGHT FROM FRANCE TO LIE AMONG THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS OF THE LAND AND BURIED HERE ON ARMISTICE DAY 11 NOV: 1920, IN THE PRESENCE OF HIS MAJESTY KING GEORGE V HIS MINISTERS OF STATE MAN CAN GIVE LIFE ITSELF FOR GODFOR KING AND COUNTRY FOR LOVED ONES HOME AND EMPIRE FOR THE SACRED CAUSE OF JUSTICE AND THE FREEDOM OF THE WORLD THEY BURIED HIM AMONG THE KINGS

We will now have a minutes silence to remember ALL the men and women who have given their lives for their country so that we can live in peace.