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THE INTERMENT OF THE UNKNOWN WARRIOR IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY THURSDAY, 11TH NOVEMBER 1920 |
The Cenotaph in Whitehall was completed shortly after the end of the 1914-1918 War and was scheduled to be unveiled by King George V on Armistice Day 1920. However, in October of that year the Dean of Westminster suggested to Buckingham Palace that the body of an unidentified soldier be exhumed from the battlefields and reburied in Westminster Abbey. To ensure the Warrior was unknown, the military authorities on the old Western Front were instructed to exhume six unidentified 'British' soldiers. On 9th November 1920, six working parties commanded by subalterns, went to the six main battlefields - Aisne, Arras, Cambrai, Marne, Somme and Ypres - each to exhume the remains of one soldier buried in a grave marked 'Unknown'. The six bodies were put in coffins and taken to a hut near Ypres where they were received by a clergyman. A blindfolded officer went inside the hut and at random touched the coffin of the soldier who was to be laid among kings in Westminster Abbey. The body was brought across the English Channel from Boulogne to Dover on HMS Verdun. Following a brief service the Unknown Warrior was lowered into his grave near the Great West Door on 11th November 1920, the grave refilled with earth brought from the battlefields. |
THE UNKNOWN WARRIOR'S VC GUARD OF HONOUR: MEMBERS OF BRITAIN'S HIGHEST ORDER OF COURAGE WHO TOOK PART IN THE ABBEY SERVICE ON ARMISTICE DAY, UNDER THE COMMAND OF COLONEL BERNARD FREYBERG ( The VC Guard photographed before the ceremony in Westminster Abbey ) |
The order of the service in Westminster Abbey was published in 'The Times' newspaper on Tuesday, 9th November 1920. "The Unknown Warrior will be carried to his last resting place in Westminster Abbey between two lines of men who won the Victoria Cross or who had otherwise distinguished themselves by special valour during World War I. These will include representatives of the Royal Navy, the Army, and the Royal Air Force. The bodyguard of heroes will probably be as follows:" |
Rank | FName | LName | Decorations | Force |
---|---|---|---|---|
ROYAL NAVY | ||||
Lieutenant | Harold | AUTEN | VC DSO | Royal Naval Reserve |
Captain The Hon | Edward | BINGHAM | VC OBE | Royal Navy |
Captain | Gordon | CAMPBELL | VC DSO | Royal Navy |
Captain | Alfred | CARPENTER | VC | Royal Navy |
Lieutenant | Percy | DEAN | VC | Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve |
Lt Commander | Norman | HOLBROOK | VC | Royal Navy |
Chief Petty Officer | Ernest | PITCHER | VC DSM MM | Royal Navy |
Seaman | George | SAMSON | VC | Royal Naval Reserve |
Lieutenant | Gordon | STEELE | VC | Royal Navy |
Captain | Edward | UNWIN | VC CB CMG | Royal Navy |
ROYAL MARINES | ||||
Colour Sergeant | Norman | FINCH | VC | Royal Marine Artillery |
Lt-Colonel | Lewis | HALLIDAY | VC CB | Royal Marine Light Infantry |
Chief Engineman | J | ARNOLD | DSM | Royal Navy Reserve |
Sergeant | C J | BRADOCK | CGM | Royal Marine Light Infantry |
Chief Petty Officer | T | COXON | CGM MM | Royal Naval Division |
Petty Officer | E R | CREMER | CGM DSM MM | Royal Navy |
Chief ERA | F M | GALE | CGM | Royal Navy |
Petty Officer | W | HARNER | CGM | Royal Navy |
Chief SBS | A E | JONES | CGM | Royal Navy |
Petty Officer | J | LEACH | CGM | Royal Navy |
Chief Petty Officer | W J V | KEEBLE | CGM | Royal Navy |
Able Seaman | F E | LAKE | CGM | Royal Navy |
Able Seaman | F G | NOBLE | CGM MM | Royal Navy |
Coastguard | W | PENNY | DSM | Royal Navy |
Leading Seaman | W G | RAWLES | CGM MM | Royal Navy |
Petty Officer | W | ROWBOTHAM | CGM | Royal Navy |
Petty Officer | D P | SMITH | CGM DSM | Royal Navy |
Skipper | D | WATSON | DSC | Royal Naval Reserve |
THE ARMY | ||||
The Reverend | William | ADDISON | VC | Royal Army Chaplains' Dept. |
Sapper | Adam | ARCHIBALD | VC | Royal Engineers |
Captain | Eugene | BENNETT | VC MC | Worcestershire Regiment |
Sergeant Major | Spencer | BENT | VC MM | East Lancashire Regiment |
Sergeant | Oliver | BROOKS | VC | Coldstream Guards |
Lt-Colonel | Daniel | BURGES | VC DSO | Gloucestershire Regiment |
Sergeant | William | BURMAN | VC | The Rifle Brigade |
Corporal | Alfred | BURT | VC | Beds & Herts Regiment |
Private | William | BUTLER | VC | West Yorkshire Regiment |
Sergeant |
Robert | BYE | VC | Welsh Guards |
Private | John | CAFFREY | VC | York & Lancaster Regiment |
Sergeant | Laurence | CALVERT | VC MM | King's Own Yorkshire LI |
Sergeant | Harry | CATOR | VC MM | East Surrey Regiment |
Private | George | CHAFER | VC | East Yorkshire Regiment |
Lance Corporal | William | COLTMAN | VC DCM* MM* | North Staffordshire Regiment |
Coporal | Sydney | DAY | VC | Suffolk Regiment |
Co Sgt Major | Martin | DOYLE | VC MM | Royal Munster Fusiliers |
Driver | Job | DRAIN | VC | Royal Field Artillery |
Corporal | Roland | ELCOCK | VC MM | The Royal Scots |
Corporal | Edward | FOSTER | VC | East Surrey Regiment |
Lt-Colonel | Bernard | FREYBERG | VC CMG DSO | Queen's Royal W Surrey Regiment |
Captain | Charles | FOSS | VC | Beds & Herts Regiment |
Captain | Cyril | FRISBY | VC | Coldstream Guards |
Captain | Robert | GEE | VC MC | Royal Fusiliers |
Lt-Colonel | Harry | GREENWOOD | VC DSO MC | King's Own Yorkshire LI |
Major | Alfred | HERRING | VC | Royal Army Service Corps |
Sergeant | John | HOGAN | VC | Manchester Regiment |
Captain | Charles | HUDSON | VC DSO MC | The Sherwood Foresters |
Shoeing-Smith | Charles | HULL | VC | 21st Lancers |
Lieutenant | Herbert | JAMES | VC | Worcestershire Regiment |
Major | Dudley | JOHNSON | VC DSO* MC | South Wales Borderers |
Private | Henry | KENNY | VC | Loyal North Lancashire Regiment |
Sgt Drummer | William | KENNY | VC | Gordon Highlanders |
Captain | Allan | KER | VC | Gordon Highlanders |
Piper | Daniel | LAIDLAW | VC | King's Own Scottish Borderers |
Sergeant | Frederick | LUKE | VC | Royal Field Artillery |
Lieutenant | David | MACINTYRE | VC | Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders |
Sergeant | William | MCNALLY | VC MM | Yorkshire Regiment |
Sergeant | Edward | MOTT | VC DCM | Border Regiment |
Lt-Colonel | Philip | NEAME | VC DSO | Royal Engineers |
Sergeant | John | O'NEILL | VC MM | Leinster Regiment |
Lieutenant | Alfred | POLLARD | VC MC* DCM | Honourable Artillery Company |
Lance Corporal | Frederick | POTTS | VC | Berkshire Yeomany |
Private | Arthur | POULTER | VC | Duke of Wellington's Regiment |
Private | Arthur | PROCTER | VC | King's Liverpool Regiment |
Sergeant | John | READITT | VC | South Lancashire Regiment |
Sergeant | Alfred | RICHARDS | VC | Lancashire Fusiliers |
Lance Corporal | Walter | RITCHIE | VC | Seaforth Highlanders |
Captain | George | ROUPELL | VC | East Surrey Regiment |
Sergeant | Issy | SMITH | VC | Manchester Regiment |
Private | James | TOWERS | VC | The Cameronians |
Gunner | Charles | STONE | VC MM | Royal Field Artillery |
Lance Corporal | Henry | TANDEY | VC DCM MM | Duke of Wellington's Regiment |
Lance Corporal | Arthur | VICKERS | VC | Warwickshire Regiment |
Major | Arnold | WATERS | VC DSO MC | Royal Engineers |
Co Sgt Major | John | WILLIAMS | VC DCM MM* | South Wales Borderers |
Lance Sergeant | Harry | WOOD | VC MM | Scots Guards |
Private | Wilfred | WOOD | VC | Northumberland Fusiliers |
Captain | Geoffrey | WOOLLEY | VC MC | The London Regiment |
ROYAL AIR FORCE | ||||
Squadron Leader | Gilbert | INSALL | VC MC | Royal Air Force |
Wing Commander | Lionel | REES | VC OBE MC AFC | Royal Air Force |
Flight Lieutenant | Ferdinand | WEST | VC MC | Royal Air Force |
Flight Lieutenant | C J Q | BRAND | DSO MC DFC | Royal Air Force |
Flight Sergeant | J | CARTWRIGHT | DCM | Royal Air Force |
Flight Lieutenant | C J | HAZELL | DSO DSC MC | Royal Air Force |
Sergeant-Major | J C | JONES | DCM MM | Royal Air Force |
Sergeant | S L | LEE | DSM | Royal Air Force |
Sergeant-Major | G | SCARFFE | MC | Royal Air Force |
Iain Stewart 31 December 2002