The Unknown Warrior: A Personal Journey of Discovery and Remembrance (Hardback) - John Nichol

A moving account of how and why the tomb of the Unknown Warrior came about, by best-selling author and ex-serviceman John Nichol.

'Compelling... [Nichol has a] terrific eye for detail; an ability to blend tear-jerking letters, quotation and personal anecdotes into a rich, thought-provoking narrative'
Daily Telegraph

Over one million British Empire soldiers were killed during the First World War. More than a century later, over half a million still have no known grave.

The scale of the fighting, the catastrophic destruction, the relentless military engagement and glutinous mud meant that many of the dead were never identified, of often, never recovered. Names were left without bodies, and bodies, or fragments of bodies, without names.

To help staunch the tide of national grief in the aftermath of the conflict, an idea was born for a single 'Unknown Warrior' representing all the missing, to be brought from the battlefields and buried in Westminster Abbey alongside the nation's kings and queens.

Using diaries, archives and interviews with the descendants of that generation and modern-day experts, Sunday Times bestselling author and former RAF Tornado navigator John Nichol draws on his own experience of combat and loss to shine light on this 100-year-old story. And in speaking to those who have lost loved ones in more modern conflicts, he examines our continuing need for a tangible resting place at which to truly grieve the fallen.

His search for answers becomes a moving and personal journey, exploring the true meaning of camaraderie, service, sacrifice and remembrance.

About the Author

John Nichol served in the Royal Air Force for fifteen years. On active duty during the first Gulf War in 1991, his Tornado bomber was shot down during a mission over Iraq. Captured, tortured and held as a prisoner of war, John was paraded on television, provoking worldwide condemnation and leaving one of the most enduring images of the conflict. John is the bestselling co-author of Tornado Down and author of many highly acclaimed epics, including Spitfire, Lancaster and Tornado, all of which were Sunday Times bestsellers. He has made a number of TV documentaries with Second World War veterans, written for national newspapers and magazines, and is a widely quoted commentator on military affairs.