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.
If everyone who has been grateful for the NHS over the past 75 years followed and retweeted we’d reach a million by midnight
Please take just two seconds to show you care
Not surrendering evidence can lead to a daily fine and/or imprisonment until you do.
RT if Johnson should be sitting in a cell losing money until his phone turns up.
The English Water Industry is valued at £80bn and that is generous.
They have £60.5bn of debt, all secured against YOU.
That means it would take only £19.5bn, maximum to buy the lot.
RT if it is time to Nationalise
Thames Water is likely to receive a bailout payment from YOU amounting to at least £6bn.
In return we will get shares in the company that will be reprivatised at fraudulently low rates to Conservative donors.
If you are not happy with this RT
If everyone who has been grateful for the NHS over the past 75 years followed and retweeted we’d reach a million by midnight.
Please take just two seconds to show you care.
Rishi Sunak is considering letting Thames Water raise their bills 47% to pay the interest on their debts.
That will force over 2 million households to pay for their fake 'profits' or go without Water.
RT if the Conservatives can shove this idea where the sun doesn't shine
Ofgem have just announced their energy price cap.
Your energy bill will be £2,074 this next year (from July).
That’s an 80% rise in your energy bill compared to 2 yrs ago.
But here is the thing. Wholesale gas today is 4p per therm cheaper than exactly 2 years ago. A rip off
We’re trying to get as many followers as Rishi Sunak so we can show the government just how many people are prepared to fight for the NHS and its staff.
Please can you help us today by following us and retweeting this?
Nurses will be back out on strike from 8pm tonight until 8pm on Monday
We need your help and support like never before, please attend picket lines and protests near you
Please share and give us a follow if you're on our side 💙
#FairPayForNursing#SocialistSunday#NHS
This needs to be heard:
Patients aren't dying because nurses are striking
Nurses are striking BECAUSE patients are dying!
Retweet and post a ✊ if you support Nurses!
#RCNStrike#NHSstrikes