The Unknown Warriors

The Unknown Warriors
Author: Nicholas Pringle
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 532
Release: 2012-10
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781291129335

WWII Book. They served across the globe; from the North African desert to the jungles of Burma, from the skies of occupied Europe to the icy Arctic Ocean. 'The Unknown Warriors', as Winston Churchill named them, were the men and women who fought for the country during the Second World War. When an appeal for memories of wartime and what they thought of their country in the 21st century appeared in the local newspapers, many put pen to paper or dusted off their old typewriters to send a response. The Unknown Warriors is a collection of letters, packed full of opinions and dramatic war memories from Land Army Girls, Far East POWs, Desert Rats, and RAF aircrew, to name just a few, as well as those who served in essential civilian services and occupations. It is a timeless record of written testimony from men and women from Britain, Australia and New Zealand who served their country with bravery and determination in the 1939-1945 War. For more information visit: www.theunknownwarriors.co.uk

The Unknowns

The Unknowns
Author: Patrick K. O'Donnell
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
Total Pages: 446
Release: 2018-05-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 080214926X

The award-winning combat historian and author of Washington’s Immortals honors the Unknown Soldier with this “gripping story” of America’s part in WWI (Washington Times). The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is sacred ground at Arlington National Cemetery. Originally constructed in 1921 to hold one of the thousands of unidentified American soldiers lost in World War I, it now receives millions of visitors each year. “With exhaustive research and fluid prose,” historian Patrick O’Donnell illuminates the saga behind the creation of the Tomb itself, and the stories of the soldiers who took part in its consecration (Wall Street Journal). When the first Unknown Soldier was laid to rest in Arlington, General John Pershing selected eight of America’s most decorated veterans to serve as Body Bearers. These men appropriately spanned America’s service branches and specialties. Their ranks include a cowboy who relived the charge of the light brigade, an American Indian who heroically breached mountains of German barbed wire, a salty New Englander who dueled a U-boat for hours in a fierce gunfight, a tough New Yorker who sacrificed his body to save his ship, and an indomitable gunner who, though blinded by gas, nonetheless overcame five machine-gun nests. In telling the stories of these brave men, O’Donnell shines a light on the service of all veterans, including the hero they brought home. Their stories present an intimate narrative of America’s involvement in the Great War, transporting readers into the midst of dramatic battles that ultimately decided the conflict.

Twenty-One Steps: Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Twenty-One Steps: Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Author: Jeff Gottesfeld
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Total Pages: 32
Release: 2021-03-16
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1536224367

With every step, the Tomb Guards pay homage to America’s fallen. Discover their story, and that of the unknown soldiers they honor, through resonant words and illustrations. Keeping vigil at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, in Arlington National Cemetery, are the sentinel guards, whose every step, every turn, honors and remembers America’s fallen. They protect fellow soldiers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice, making sure they are never alone. To stand there—with absolute precision, in every type of weather, at every moment of the day, one in a line uninterrupted since midnight July 2, 1937—is the ultimate privilege and the most difficult post to earn in the army. Everything these men and women do is in service to the Unknowns. Their standard is perfection. Exactly how the unnamed men came to be entombed at Arlington, and exactly how their fellow soldiers have come to keep vigil over them, is a sobering and powerful tale, told by Jeff Gottesfeld and luminously illustrated by Matt Tavares—a tale that honors the soldiers who honor the fallen.

Among the Kings

Among the Kings
Author: Mark Scott
Publisher:
Total Pages: 216
Release: 2020-11
Genre: Soldiers
ISBN: 9781780732671

It was the war to end all wars and became one of the bloodiest and cruellest conflicts in history.Into the hands of author Mark Scott came a poignant survivor of those nightmare years - a notebook carried through the trenches by his great grandfather, Jimmy Scott, nestled in the pocket of his uniform. In it was a list of names, written with the tiny pencil still attached to the fragile cover. With this family heirloom in his hand, the author vowed to discover the stories of these men who gave their all in the Great War. Along the way he unravelled a remarkable connection to the story of the Unknown Warrior, unearthing valuable new documents that detailed for the first time the full untold story of this event - and what happened to the bodies of those not selected for burial in Westminster Abbey in 1920 - those who, like thousands of others, are "Known Unto God."Reading at times like a detective story, this is the moving, often heart-breaking, account of the men whose names Jimmy Scott carefully pencilled into his little notebook.

The Unknown Warrior

The Unknown Warrior
Author: John Nichol
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 293
Release: 2024-09-26
Genre: History
ISBN: 1398509469

'It is rare to find a tale so strange, intimate and human yet at the same time so enormous, so global in its importance. Yet again John Nichol impresses us with his ability to weave together the little details and the grand narrative' Dan Snow *** Over one million British Empire soldiers were killed during the First World War. More than a century later, more than half a million still have no known grave. The scale of the fighting, the destructive power of high explosive, and the combination of relentless military engagement and glutinous mud meant that many of the dead were never recovered or identified. Names were left without bodies, and bodies, or fragments of bodies, without names. In an emotional personal journey, Sunday Times bestselling author John Nichol uncovers the dramatic story of the Unknown Warrior who lies in Westminster Abbey, and our nation’s deep-seated need to honour and mourn the fallen. ‘A Soldier of the Great War Known Unto God.’ Rudyard Kipling In the aftermath of the First World War, an idea was born for a single ‘Unknown Warrior’ to commemorate every one of the missing, and help staunch the tidal flow of national grief. Echoed most recently by the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, each phase of his burial ceremony was choreographed with military precision, love, and respect. Former RAF Tornado Navigator and Gulf War prisoner-of-war John Nichol, retraces the Warrior’s journey home from the battlefields of Northern France to Westminster Abbey, talking to relatives of those involved and researching long-forgotten archives. How did the plan take shape? Who was this ‘unknown’ man? How was he chosen, and from where? What were the logistical challenges of repatriating a single body, whilst retaining its total anonymity? To help shine light on the 100-year-old story, John seeks out modern experts in battlefield trauma, the recovery of the slain, and the complexities of ceremonial interment on a grand scale. And speaking to those who have lost loved ones in more recent conflicts, he meditates upon our continuing need of a tangible resting place at which to truly grieve the fallen. Drawing on his own experience of military service and combat, Nichol explores the way individuals and nations have marked the sacrifice of their dead across the ages. Above all, The Unknown Warrior is a search for the true meaning of camaraderie, service and remembrance.

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey
Author: Richard Jenkyns
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 236
Release: 2005-03-31
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 9780674017160

Westminster Abbey is the most complex church in existence. National cathedral, coronation church, royal mausoleum, burial place of poets, resting place of the great and of the Unknown Warrior, former home of parliament, backdrop to the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales—this rich and extraordinary building unites many functions. Westminster Abbey is both an appreciation of an architectural masterpiece and an exploration of the building’s shifting meanings. We hear the voices of those who have described its forms, moods, and ceremonies, from Shakespeare and Voltaire to Dickens and Henry James; we see how rulers have made use of it, from medieval kings to modern prime ministers. In a highly original book, classicist and cultural historian Richard Jenkyns teaches us to look at this microcosm of history with new eyes.

The Unknown Warrior

The Unknown Warrior
Author: Richard Osgood
Publisher: The History Press
Total Pages: 352
Release: 2005-11-17
Genre: History
ISBN: 0752495461

A tale of the 'poor bloody infantry' and what we glean of their lot from prehistory right through to World War I. This book compares the life of the soldier across time and cultures. It includes the great battles of medieval Europe.

Tornado

Tornado
Author: John Nichol
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 378
Release: 2021-06-10
Genre: History
ISBN: 1471180549

Former Tornado Navigator John Nichol tells the incredible story of the RAF Tornado force during the First Gulf War in 1991; the excitement and the danger, the fear and the losses. It is an extraordinary account of courage and fortitude. ‘We were doing about 620 miles-per-hour, 200 feet above the desert, in total darkness. Everything was running on rails as we approached the target. Then all hell broke loose. I remember the missile being fired at us; I broke left and shouted, “Chaff!” ‘All I could see was a flame, like a very large firework, coming towards me. Then there was a huge white flash. I remember an enormous wind and then I was knocked unconscious. My last thoughts were that I was going to die.’ In 1990, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein ordered the invasion and occupation of neighbouring Kuwait, setting in motion a chain of events that had unimaginable political, military and personal repercussions, which still reverberate around the globe today. This is the story of the aircrew at the heart of Operation Desert Storm, almost none of whom had any prior experience of armed combat. It is the story of the Tornado’s missions, of those who did not return - and of the families who watched and waited as one of the most complex conflicts in recent history unfolded live on television. It is a story of untold fear and suffering, and astounding courage in the face of hitherto unimaginable adversity.