Symbolic hero must be given Victoria Cross
CAMPAIGNERS are calling for the Unknown Warrior to be awarded the Victoria Cross to mark the centenary of the creation of his tomb in Westminster Abbey.
Those supporting the call include more than 6,000 members of the Western Front Association, Lord Ashcroft, owner of the worlds biggest private collection of VCS, and a group of historians.
Tony Bolton, chairman of the Western Front Association, said: “Now, as we commemorate the centenary of the Unknown Warrior, is the time to address this injustice and bestow our highest honour on what is our ultimate symbol of national sacrifice.”
The idea for a tomb to an anonymous warrior was first suggested in 1916 by the Rev David Railton, an Army padre awarded the Military Cross for saving the lives of two soldiers and an officer under fire in France.
Although he received no response from General Lord Hague, he persisted and in 1920, inspired by the newly created Cenotaph, tried again, this time writing to the Dean of Westminster Bishop Ryle.
The death toll had been high, with at least 970,000 British soldiers, sailors and aviators killed during the First World War and three million civilians losing a close relative.
The Dean of Westminster agreed the tomb should be in Westminster Abbey.
After some pressure on King George V by Prime Minister David Lloyd George it was decided to dispatch Brig General Louis John Wyatt, Commander of British forces in France and Flanders, to a small chapel in Saint Pol where four bodies lay on stretchers.
Each belonged to an unidentified soldier killed in action in the
Somme, Aisne, Arras and Ypres. The idea was adopted by other counties, including France, Italy, Belgium, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the US.
Campaigners pointed to the fact that Britain has bestowed a VC to the US’S Unknown Soldier following General Pershing’s decision in 1921 to grant him America’s highest award, the Congressional Medal of Honor.
“The precedent is there,” said historian Richard Pursehouse, author of Prisoners On Cannock Chase: Great War Pows. “If we are able to award the Victoria Cross to the US’S Unknown Soldier, surely it is fitting that it is awarded to our own?”
Lord Ashcroft said: “The VC is arguably the most prestigious gallantry medal in the world and should not be awarded lightly or its standing will be devalued. However, I do believe that it would be a wonderful gesture to mark the centenary of the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior by awarding him the VC, provided the Queen and our military leaders also consider this to be an appropriate measure.”
Special plans to commemorate the centenary have been scrapped due to Covid-19. A steam train was to have a special carriage to replicate the original journey from Dover to Victoria Station where, in 1920, it was given an overnight honour guard before proceeding to Westminster Abbey by gun carriage the following day.
Instead, a small socially distanced ceremony will be held at Dover on Wednesday, and a small service of remembrance at Westminster Abbey is exempted from lockdown rules.
‘Now is time to address injustice’
TRIBUTE: People walk round the base of the Kelpies in Falkirk, Central Scotland, as they are lit red in a show of support for the Scottish Poppy Appeal