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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER by Neil Hanson


swizz

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I know this has been mentioned on the forum before but, for those who are interested, here is the review which was in yesterday's Sunday Times (UK)

Swizz

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Yes it looks good doesn't it. I've noticed that its going for a good price on a well known internet book retailer... beginning with 'A'...

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Whilst I've not read the book , I did notice in the review the comment from the reviewer that instructions went out to make sure the 'Unknown Warrior' was an Old Contemptible....is there any truth in this? It seems a bit of a big fact to claim as I thought a number of soldiers were picked at random from a number of different battlefields ie the Somme, Ypres, Lys etc and then one of these was chosen at random.

Anyone else got any thoughts??

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I haven't read the book either, but I understood that it was more likely that the soldier was killed earlier in the war (ie 1914/15) rather than later, but I can't remember where I read this. I'll think about it and if I can remember where I got this from I'll post again.

Swizz

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Whilst I've not read the book , I did notice in the review the comment from the reviewer that instructions went out to make sure the 'Unknown Warrior' was an Old Contemptible....is there any truth in this? It seems a bit of a big fact to claim as I thought a number of soldiers were picked at random from a number of different battlefields ie the Somme, Ypres, Lys etc and then one of these was chosen at random.

Anyone else got any thoughts??

The little I know of the subject was very emphatic about the extaordinary lengths gone to to ensure that the soldier could have been anyone. I would like to see what the remark was based on.

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I haven't read the book either, but I understood that it was more likely that the soldier was killed earlier in the war (ie 1914/15) rather than later, but I can't remember where I read this. I'll think about it and if I can remember where I got this from I'll post again.

Swizz

According to the excellent "The Story of the Unknown Warrior" by Michael Gavaghan, The officers responsible for selecting bodies from each of the chosen areas were instructed to retrieve a body from a British cemetery, from a grave marked "Unknown British Soldier." They were also instructed to choose a body which was originally buried as early in the war as possible, "to allow nature to cause sufficient deterioration of the body."

Tom

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