A Tomb of the Unknown Soldier or Tomb of the Unknown Warrior is a monument dedicated to the services of an unknown soldier and to the common memories of all soldiers killed in war. Such tombs are located in many nations and are usually high-profile national monuments. Throughout history, many soldiers have died in war with their remains being unidentified. Following World War I, a movement arose to commemorate these soldiers with a single tomb, containing the body of one such unidentified soldier.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Moscow
The statue Landsoldaten, Fredericia, Denmark
Image: Unknown Soldier (Statue) (BLGU Spring School 2013) 02
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier holds an unidentified member of the French armed forces killed during the First World War, to symbolically commemorate all soldiers who have died for France throughout history. It was installed in Paris under the Arc de Triomphe on 11 November 1920, simultaneously with the interment of a British unknown soldier in Westminster Abbey, making both graves the first examples of a tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the first to honour the unknown dead of the First World War.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry lays wreath during 70th anniversary VE Day commemoration in Paris, 8 May 2015.
Choosing the Unknown Soldier (reconstruction at Verdun).
Photo from 11 November 1920.