Memorial Unknown Warrior Boulogne Castle

"On this spot
9-10 November 1920
The body of the British
Unknown Warrior who gave
his life for the cause
of Liberty rested for
his last hours on French soil"

The simple coffin containing the body of Unknown Warrior was transported by field ambulance from the chapel at Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise to the medieval castle at Boulogne where it rested overnight in the library which had been turned into 'chapelle ardente' (French for 'burning chapel' used to honour an exalted person lying in state, so called because of the many candles surrounding the coffin) and guarded by the 8e Regiment d'Infanterie de Ligne. The next morning two undertakers entered the library and place the simple coffin into one that had been bought over from England. It was made from oak from the Hampton Court Palace gardens and had two wrought iron bands placed around it. On top was mounted a crusader sword from the Royal Armouries chosen by King George V. On top of the sword was mounted and iron plate in the shape of a shield with the inscription 'A British Warrior who fell in the Great War 1914-1918 for King and Country'
At 1030 on 10th November 1918, the coffin was placed on a French military wagon (it should have been a gun carriage) and the procession led by 1000 schoolchildren and escorted by the 8e and 39e Regiments, 6e Chasseurs a Cheval and Fusiliers Marins and followed by an entire French Division made its way to Quai Chanzy in Boulogne sur Mer. A huge crowd had gathered and were addressed by Marshal Foch who paid tribute to the Empire's fallen. Lieutenant General Sir George Macdonagh replied on behalf of the King, 'We are taking the body of this simple soldier to lay him in Westminster Abbey, the most sacred of all places in Britain, where lie our heroes and Kings. His tomb will remain for centuries as a souvenir of the friendship, sympathy and love that unites and will forever unite Britain and France'.
At 1130 the coffin was carried onboard HMS Verdun (whose arrival had been delayed by fog) to a piped Admirals salute whilst Foch and Macdonagh saluted. Gen Macdonagh then boarded HMS Verdun and the ship sailed for Dover accompanied by five French cruisers and a 19 gun Field Marshals salute.

The 8e Regiment d'Infanterie de Ligne had fought at the Battle of Barrosa on the 5 March 1811 where its imperial Eagle had been captured by the 87 Regiment of Foot, later amalgamated into the Royal Irish Fusiliers, who were to escort the coffin from Dover to London Victoria. The 8th Regiment had recently been awarded the Legion d'Honeur.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Simon Godly MSM (1), IWM Non Commercial Licence (2), IWM Non Commercial Licence (3), IWM Non Commercial Licence (4), IWM Non Commercial Licence (5)