[lit-ideas] Re: Unknown Warrior
- From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 11 Nov 2004 12:38:21 EST
In a message dated 11/11/2004 12:15:22 PM Eastern Standard Time,
ritchierd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
The best account of this, Adrian Gregroy, "The Silence of Memory; Armistice
Day 1919-1946" leaves the question in doubt. Should you want to look at the
records themselves, they can be found in the Public Record Office, PRO CAB
27/99
Thanks. Here below is the OED. I wonder if the ceremony included that
cliche, "known TO GOD". Being an abbey one would expect it.
D. Ritchie quotes:
>the Dean of Westminster Abbey, apparently acting on a
>suggestion by the wartime padre, David Railton, wrote to George V suggesting
>that an unknown body from the battlefields of France and Flanders should be
>disintered and reburied with full military honours." (Adrian Gregory, "The
Silence of Memory; Armistice Day 1919-1946").
Interestingly, Gregory's phrase is:
"unknown body"
-- as different, no doubt, from "unknown soldier" or "unknown warrior". The
idea is indeed "unidentified", rather than, in purely Berkeleian terms,
"unKNOWN". If _this_ includes 'knowledge', though, it would be what Lord
Russell
had as 'knowledge by acquaintance' -- rather than 'by description'. Oddly,
talking as we are of _bodies_. (i.e. corpses). (cf. the redundancy of a 'known'
i.e. identified, body or corpse).
Perhaps 'unnamed soldier' would be a happier phrase. Or perhaps, "Memorial
to Thomas Atkins", which is just as much symbolic?
Spanish has "tumba al soldado desconocido", rather than "no-conocido".
Cheers,
JL
----
unknown soldier or warrior, an unidentified soldier whose tomb symbolizes
that of all those killed in battle: see WARRIOR 2 a.
1920 Times 11 Nov. 14/1
The Unknown Warrior..was brought to London by night... He lay..awaiting
burial today in the Abbey among the greatest of his race.
Ibid. 12 Nov. 13/1
The body of the Unknown Warrior..was buried in Westminster Abbey yesterday,
the King being chief mourner.
1942 E. WAUGH Put out More Flags i. 36
Rupert Brooke, Old Bill, the Unknown Soldierthus three fond women saw him.
1970 Times 3 June 5/6
Princess Margaret drove today to Mount Avala to lay a wreath of red poppies
on the tomb of the unknown soldier.
1980 I. MURDOCH Nuns & Soldiers i. 42 The soldiers at the Unknown Warrior's
grave in Warsaw.
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