23/10/2026
THE UNKNOWN WARRIOR
THE SOLDIER WHO CAME HOME FOR EVERYONE
As we approach Remembrance Day, we wanted to share a remarkable story. One that is over 100 years old, but still has the power to move us today.
On 7th November 1920, in the strictest secrecy, four unidentified British soldiers were exhumed from battlefield cemeteries at Ypres, Arras, the Aisne and the Somme.
The soldiers carrying out the exhumations were not told why.
The four bodies were taken to a chapel near Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise in France, where they were draped in Union Flags and placed under guard.
Brigadier-General Louis Wyatt was then asked to select just one of the four coffins, without knowing anything about the men inside.
The other three were respectfully reburied.
The chosen soldier would become Britain's Unknown Warrior.
On 8th November, he was placed into a specially made oak coffin. Upon it was mounted a sword and a plate bearing the words:
"A British Warrior who fell in the Great War 1914–1918 for King and Country."
The following day, his coffin was carried through the streets of Boulogne, accompanied by guards of honour, tolling bells and military salutes.
He was then taken aboard HMS Verdun for his final journey home.
When the ship arrived in Dover, he was welcomed with a 19-gun salute, an honour normally reserved for the highest-ranking military officers.
From Dover, a special train carried him to London's Victoria Station, where he remained overnight.
Then, on 11th November 1920, exactly two years after the Armistice, the Unknown Warrior was taken through the streets of London and laid to rest in Westminster Abbey.
King George V attended the funeral, alongside countless mourners, many of whom had lost someone during the war.
But perhaps the most touching part of this story is why it happened.
The idea came from an Army chaplain named Reverend David Railton, who had served on the front line.
He had seen a grave marked simply "An Unknown British Soldier" and believed that bringing one unidentified soldier home would give thousands of grieving families somewhere to remember their loved ones.
The Union Flag used to cover the coffin had been used by Railton as an altar cloth during the war.
At a time when hundreds of thousands of families had no known grave to visit, this one soldier represented them all.
He could have been someone's husband.
Someone's father.
Someone's brother.
Someone's son.
And that is what makes the Unknown Warrior so special.
He had no name, but he represented thousands of names.
Here at County Funerals, we see every day how important it is for families to have somewhere to say goodbye, to remember and to honour a life.
The story of the Unknown Warrior reminds us that remembrance is not about glorifying war. It is about recognising sacrifice, remembering those who never came home and giving dignity to those who gave everything.
As we wear our poppies this year, perhaps spare a moment to think about that unknown soldier, and the thousands of families who found some comfort in knowing that, in a way, their loved one had finally come home.
POPPY APPEAL 2026
Poppies are available in both of our County Funerals shops.
If you would like to show your support for the Royal British Legion and the wonderful work they do for our Armed Forces community, please feel free to pop in and pick up a poppy.
Every poppy worn is a symbol of remembrance, respect and gratitude for those who have served and sacrificed.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.
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