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Salute to
the
UNKNOWN
WARRIOR
by
Malcolm Tofts
For every man or woman who has lost a loved one to death, here is hope.
R
ECENTLY,
my wife and
l
visited one of London's
oldest and most histor–
ie bui ldi ngs- Westminster
Abbey. More than 4,000 of
Britain's most famous people
are buried inside.
Kings, queens and ma n y
other notables are buried be–
neath the walkways. A stone
above each grave gives the
details of the d ignitary. One
walks over the stones as one
tours the building.
Paradoxically, the best known
and one of the most highly
regarded of all the graves is that of
someone whose name is unknown.
The Unknown Warrior
There is one stone covering one
grave on which, out of respect for
the remains, nobody is allowed to
walk. This grave is at the entrance
of the building and is the first seen
by anyone entering. It is the grave
of the unknown warrior. This tomb
has the highest honor of any grave
in Britain.
In a touching tribute, on her
wedding day, Princess Diana made
a special journey after the royal
wedding to bring her wedding bou–
quet and place it on the tomb of the
unknown soldier. A beautiful ges–
ture of appreciation for the man's
sacrifice during the Great War.
18
At the end of the First World
War, five unrecognizable bodies
from Britain's armed forces were
brought home from Europe. A
blind man picked out one of the
bodies. This is the body that is in
the grave of the unknown warrior.
Whom the body belongs to, nobody
knows.
King George V ordered the
body to be buried with full mili–
tary honors. And to give an inter–
national perspective, French soil
was brought across the channel to
place around the tomb. Belgian
poppies grow round about. And
above the grave is a posthumous
award granted by the United
States-the Congressional Medal
of Honor.
Thus, this tomb has become a
symbol of all men from all nations
who have died in all wars. Most
high-Jevel dignitaries lay a wreath
here when they visit London. And
many other countries have copied
the idea.
According to the inscription on
the tomb, "thus are commemorated
the many multitudes who ... gave
the most that man can give, life
itself."
At the tomb of the unknown
warrior, both my wife and I were
sobered in the presence of death.
Will the unknown soldier and the
other many multitudes who have
died in war ever live again?
J know that many readers of
The
Plain Truth
have lost a son or
daughter or perhaps a husband or
wife in war and civil disturbances.
Surely, life and death are the most
important of all questions- and the
ones to which we paradoxically
devote the Jeast study and
thought!
What Ab o ut Death?
There are many ideas, many teach–
ings about death. Most people
accept and assume to be true what–
ever they have been taught. When
it comes to the question of life and
death, most people belong to one or
the other of two s chools of
thought.
Sorne are agnostics who believe
death ends all- that there is no life,
no hope after death. Tbey believe
that when one dies it is the end to
existence of that personality for all
time.
Then there are those who hold to
a life after death. They accept the
doctrine of the immortality of the
soul. They have various ideas as to
how and where the soul continues
on after death. Tbey think that the
deceased have "passed away" to
sorne other place.
Where can we turn to find the
truth on this very personal sub–
ject?
Obviously, we cannot turn to
science to find out what happens to
a person after death. The question
of death can never be answered by
The PLAIN TRUTH