Baldan Sofia,Danielis Alice,Ongaro Alessia 4ALS

THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER IN GREAT BRITAIN

The present text is a summary of all the documents provided by the teacher about the Unknown Soldier’s history.
A tomb of the Unknown Soldier refers to a monument in memory of the sacrifice of an Unknown Warrior and to the common memories of all those who died during the Great War.
The idea of the Unknown Soldier’s cult was proposed by Reverend David Railton in 1920: in 1916 he noticed a grave marked by a rough cross with the inscription “An Unknown British Soldier” placed in a garden at Armentieres.
He also suggested the idea of a symbolical funeral and the creation of a national monument in the Unknown Soldier’s honour.
Brigadier General L.J. Wyatt was put in charge of the selection of the body in France, where the remains of four British Unknown Soldiers were exhumed. On November 7 the bodies were placed in St. Pol Chapel and were covered by the Union Flag. General L.J. Wyatt selected one of the bodies at random. The warrior’s identity was a secret but anyway he had to be someone who gave his life to save the British nation.
The Unknown Soldier was sent from France to England by boat (HMS Verdun).
The funeral took place on Armistice Day, 11 November 1920: the Unknown Warrior was drawn in a procession through London and reached Westminster Abbey where he was buried.
On October 17 1921 the American General John J. Pershing presented the Medal of Honour to the Unknown Soldier of Great Britain.
The idea of the tomb of the Unknown Warrior spread also to other countries that created their own tombs.
The Unknown Soldier symbolizes all the warriors who sacrificed their life during the Great War.
All the texts analyzed are informative texts or articles, they can be read by anyone who wants to get information about the Unknown Soldier’s history. The language used is mainly formal and accurate: there are a lot of historical and specific words referred to the war.
There were used also some quotes and direct questions that create a connection with the reader: he/she is involved in the facts told and he/she could reflects about the emotions and thought that this event evokes.
The texts convey a good idea of war, indeed the Unknown Soldier’s cult seems to be a way to justify the Great War and those who died during that period.
All the soldiers became heroes of the nation, they died to free and save their country.
The Unknown Warrior is a way to unify people who need certainties and rebuild common values and hopes.