The Unknown Warrior

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

Of all the million British dead of the First World War, only one - the Unknown Soldier - was ever returned to his native land. An anonymous symbol of all those lost without trace in the carnage of the battlefields, he was laid to rest in Westminster Abbey amid an outpouring of grief that brought the whole nation to a standstill, far outweighing even the emotion expressed over the death of Princess Diana over eighty years later. Inspired by this example, almost every combatant nation buried its own Unknown Soldier and the graves became the focus of a pilgrimage that still continues today. Drawing on largely unpublished letters and diaries, Neil Hanson has resurrected the lives and experiences of three unknown soldiers - a Briton, a German and an American. Every word is based on the testimony of those who fought, those who died and those who mourned. Few books have ever shown the terrible reality of warfare in such compelling, unforgettable detail, or told such a moving story of human life and loss. Amid all their sufferings, the common humanity of the men and their loved ones shines through. Each soldier lives on in the memory of his family to this day. They stand at the head of a ghost army three million strong, all of whom have no known grave. Their story is the story of the Unknown Soldier.

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.

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.

In the aftermath of the First World War, countries mourned their fallen sons, brothers, husbands, and fathers. In 1920, in both France and England, memorials were erected to those lost heroes who had remained anonymous. Around the world other countries followed suit, each country creating it's own version of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Now, award-winning author Linda Granfield presents her own tribute to these fallen soldiers. Taking readers on a journey to the Tombs in more than a dozen countries, Ms. Granfield shares over 100 photos and images that ultimately reveal a timeless lesson: this November and every November we must remember those who served -- both known and unknown.

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.