I want to begin this article with the differences between Great Britain's Unknown Warrior and the Unknown Soldier of Canada.
Great Britain
It seems that a British soldier in the field came up with the idea of an "unknown warrior" in 1916. In that same year a British Army Chaplain came across a rough wooden cross near the battlefields of Armentieres and on the cross was inscribed "An Unknown British Soldier of the Black Watch". Then in November of 1916 the French decided on the plan to inter an unidentified French soldier in the Pantheon and this plan proceeded. Three years later in 1919 the British Government rejected the idea of having an unknown soldier interred because Britain;s National War Memorial had already been constructed. A year later in August 1920, the Dean of Westminster Abbey suggested a soldier from the Western Front be brought home for burial in Westminster Abbey. This soldier fell in 1914.
During November 8-9, 1920 were the dates when this "unknown warrior" was selected. The casket for his remains had been specially constructed and then transported to St Pol in France. Once the "unknown warrior" had been placed in the casket it was then transferred with military guard to the quayside at Boulogne and placed on the deck of the destroyer HMS Verdun. Upon arriving at Dover the casket was placed onto a train for the 3 hour journey to Victoria Station in London. During the night of November 10/11, 1920 the casket rested with a full military guard. Then, on the morning of November 11, 1920 the casket was placed upon a horse drawn horse carriage which then proceeded by the Mall to the Admiralty Arch and from there it proceeded to Westminster Abbey where "the Unknown Warrior" was laid to rest.
The Unknown Warrior stone reads:
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 the Chiefs of his forces and a vast concourse of the nation
Thus are commemorated the many multitudes who during the Great War of 1914 - 1918 gave the most that man can give life itself For God for 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 because he had done good toward God and toward his house.
In my view this unknown man was for the British Empire of which Canada was a part. How could families from Canada travel overseas to the grave of the Unknown Warrior? Many claimed Canada became a nation following the victory at Vimy. If that was so and we considered ourself a county the question must be asked why Canada did not proceed as France and Britain did with their unknown soldier and warrior following World War I.
Canada
The Government of Canada from the leadership of Prime Minister Robert Bordon (C) 1911-20; Prime Minister Meighan (C) 1920-21 1926; Prime Minister William Lyon McKenzie King (L) 1921-26 1926-30 1930-48; Prime Minister R B Bennet (C) 1930-35; Prime Minister Prime Minister Louis St Laurent (L) 1948-57; Prime Minister John Diefenbaker (C) 1957-63; Prime Minister Lester Pearson (L) 1963-68; Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau (L) 1968-79 1980-84: Prime Minister Joe Clark (C) 1979-80; Prime Minister John Turner (L) 1984; Prime Minister Brian Mulroney (C) 1984-93 and Prime Minister Kim Campbell (C) 1993 all failed not to being a Unknown Canadian soldier home to Canada.
The Canadian Legion was founded in 1925 and in 1960 was granted the term Royal Canadian Legion and they too failed to bring our Canadian unknown soldier home to Canada.
Early in the year 1997 the idea was brought forward that Canada should proceed with bringing home a Canadian unknown soldier. There were discussions for two years
From November 11, 1918 until the beginning of the year 2000 was 80 years and nothing was done to bring a Canadian Unknown soldier home to Canada. I do not understand this thinking of previous Canadian Governments or the Royal Canadian Legion. If we had not moved from the 20th Century into the 21st Century would the bringing home of a Canadian soldier ever have taken place?
In 1914 the Canadian population numbered 8 million and consisted of English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, Russians, Eastern Europeans, Southern Europeans, Germans, Scandinavians, Dutch, Chinese and Japanese. They were in Canada as such. The men and women who were part of the Canadian Expeditionary Force all enlisted as their nationality but as the war progressed things began to change in the hears and minds of the 720,000 men and women in the CEF. In the years of 1917-18 something happened and that was these men and women grew into something called a Canadian and that is what they were when they came home to Canada. Those who served numbered 9% of the population.
If this event had taken place between the wars or in the 50s just think of how many mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles could possibly have visited the tomb of an unknown Canadian solder and all wondering if this soul was their loved one.
We know our Unknown Soldier had a mother, we do not know his name, we do not know if he was born overseas or in Canada. We do know if he was a father, we do not know if his wife or family received the words "missing in action", we do not know if he had begun to live his life. We do know if he drove a truck, was a teacher, was a miner or was a student.
Did he come from the flat or rolling prairies, did he come from the many lake districts of Canada, did he live along one of our coasts and saw whales, did he have blue or brown eyes, did he know love, was he a father, did he enjoy hockey or other sports, did he read, did he get into a fight or two, was he fair skinned with freckles, how many times did he have funs with the boys?? Was he a dreamer? We will never know anything about him..
Very early in 2000 as this year was the beginning of a new Millennium, the Royal Canadian Legion and the Government of Canada began to think seriously about bring a unknown Canadian soldier of World War I home to Canada.
The Canadian Unknown soldier was exhumed from Cabaret Rouge British Cemetery a Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery close to Vimy Ridge where the Canadians achieved an astounding victory at Vimy Ridge. This victory was the first of many that the Canadian Expeditionary Force would achieve over the next two years.
This man was exhumed from French soil on May 16, 2000. His casket was then carried to the cemetery gate by the groundskeepers and placed in a hearse. It was then driven to the gates of the Vimy Memorial and placed onto a French catafalque and moved to the steps that lead to the altar. This was followed by a ceremony at Vimy Ridge in front of the Cross of sacrifice attended by a Canadian and French delegation, a 45 person guard of honour, a chaplain, veterans of the Royal Canadian Legion and 2 Canadian youth. Following the ceremony he was transported to the Lille airport and placed into a Canadian Armed Forces aircraft which departed at 2 pm for Canada. At 4 pm on May 25, a Canadian Forces aircraft with Canada's Unknown Soldier landed at Uplands Airport in Ottawa. He had left Canada as a young man and returned to a Canadian nation. This day in Ottawa was windy, the flag draped coffin was lowered from the aircraft and placed in a waiting hearse. From the airport the hearse proceeds to downtown Ottawa to the Cartier Square Drill Hall. Here our Unknown Soldier is placed onto a motorized gun carriage which carries him to the Centre Block of Parliament and then he is placed in the Hall of Honour. Our Unknown Soldier will rest here until the morning of May 28, 2000. Canadians then had the opportunity to pay their respects. All during this period he was surrounded by a guard of honour.
May 28 was cloudy and 20,000 Canadians were at the National War Memorial. They were from across Canada and all walks of life. Their were young and old, veterans and members of the Canadian Government and Canadian Military.
Canada's Unknown Soldier was removed from the Hall of Honour in the Centre Block at 1 pm and placed on a horse drawn RCMP gun carriage. The Unknown Soldier then began his final journey which took 21 minutes. As he proceeded to the National War Memorial there was a 21 gun salute.
Those in attendance stand with pride and it is quiet and as the procession nears there are tears and applause as Canadians expressed their gratitude.
Canada's Unknown Soldier had been placed in a silver maple casket and then interred in a sarcophagus that is in front of the National War Memorial. Members of the Royal Canadian Legion then placed soil from all Canadian Provinces and territories and in addition there was soil from his gravesite in France.
The original headstone from France was placed in the Canadian War Museum. Where it has been placed allows the headstone to be framed in sunlight only once a year on November 11th at11 am. The headstone that was placed at the grave of the Unknown Soldier in France reads..
The former grave of an unknown Canadian soldier of the First World War His remains were removed on 25 May, 2000 and now lie interred at the National War Memorial in Ottawa Canada
The intention of the tomb was to honour the 116,000 Canadians who fell in combat, including 28,000 soldiers whose resting place is unknown and includes all members of the Canadian Forces who died or will die in all conflicts, past, present and future. It is Caledonia granite, picked for its colour - matching with the granite on the National War Memorial, with a bronze relief sculpture and four bronze corner pieces. Three of the corner pieces show the variants of the Memorial Cross which covers the reign of three Canadian monarchs. The fourth corner shows a poppy. The bronze art work shows a medieval sword, a World War I helmet and branches of maple and laurel leaves which symbolizing victory and death.
Since the year 2007, there are two sentries in full dress uniforms with unloaded weapons standing guard at the National War Memorial and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and they are on duty daily from April 9 which is the day the Canadians attacked and won Vimy Ridge until November 10th.
Each day the guards are marched out with a duty piper, and when they are at their posts, they are read their orders, ordered to arms and to stand at ease. Their weapon is thrust out to the full extent of his right arm, the head is up and feet apart. Sentries while on duty may march their beat, which consists of the senior sentry giving orders by giving a sharp tap on the ground with the rifle butt, which is then acknowledged by the second sentry with a sharp tap on the ground with their rifle. Both come to attention, take a pace forward, shoulder their weapon, turn outwards and begin to march their 9 pace beat. They then about-face and march the 9 paces back to their original post and this can continue through their time on duty.
