Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Poppy Wall

A few weeks ago I put out a call for people to help with the writing of some posts for the blog.

 At that point Marlene put her hand up and offered to write a couple for us.  This is the first of her posts and I found it very moving to read. I hope you enjoy it. 

..........<<<>>>...........

The Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier in the Hall of Memory at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra.

Plans for a tomb for an Australian unknown soldier were first put forward in the 1920’s, but it was not until 1993, that someone was at last brought home.  With great reverence, the remains of an unknown Australian soldier were removed from a cemetery in France and transported to Australia.  After lying in state in King’s Hall in Old Parliament House, he was interred in the Hall of Memory on the 11^th November, 1993.

The Unknown Soldier was buried in a Tasmanian blackwood coffin, with a slouch hat and a sprig of wattle.   Soil from the Pozieres battlefield was scattered on his tomb.  He represents all Australians who have been killed in the war.

The Hon. P.J. Keating MP, Prime Minister of Australia delivered the eulogy and below is a transcript for you.

We do not know this Australian's name and we never will. We do not know his rank or his battalion. We do not know where he was born, nor precisely how and when he died. We do not know where in Australia he had made his home or when he left it for the battlefields of Europe. We do not know his age or his circumstances – whether he was from the city or the bush; what occupation he left to become a soldier; what religion, if he had a religion; if he was married or single. We do not know who loved him or whom he loved. If he had children we do not know who they are. His family is lost to us as he was lost to them. We will never know who this Australian was.

Yet he has always been among those whom we have honoured. We know that he was one of the 45,000 Australians who died on the Western Front. One of the 416,000 Australians who volunteered for service in the First World War. One of the 324,000 Australians who served overseas in that war and one of the 60,000 Australians who died on foreign soil. One of the 100,000 Australians who have died in wars this century.

He is all of them. And he is one of us.

This Australia and the Australia he knew are like foreign countries. The tide of events since he died has been so dramatic, so vast and all-consuming, a world has been created beyond the reach of his imagination.

He may have been one of those who believed that the Great War would be an adventure too grand to miss. He may have felt that he would never live down the shame of not going. But the chances are he went for no other reason than that he believed it was his duty - the duty he owed his country and his King.

Because the Great War was a mad, brutal, awful struggle, distinguished more often than not by military and political incompetence; because the waste of human life was so terrible that some said victory was scarcely discernible from defeat; and because the war which was supposed to end all wars in fact sowed the seeds of a second, even more terrible, war -  we might think this Unknown Soldier died in vain.

But, in honouring our war dead, as we always have and as we do today, we declare that this is not true.

For out of the war came a lesson which transcended the horror and tragedy and the inexcusable folly.

It was a lesson about ordinary people – and the lesson was that they were not ordinary.

On all sides they were the heroes of that war; not the generals and the politicians but the soldiers and sailors and nurses – those who taught us to endure hardship, to show courage, to be bold as well as resilient, to believe in ourselves, to stick together.

The Unknown Australian Soldier we inter today was one of those who by his deeds proved that real nobility and grandeur belong not to empires and nations but to the people on whom they, in the last resort, always depend.

That is surely at the heart of the ANZAC story, the Australian legend which emerged from the war. It is a legend not of sweeping military victories so much as triumphs against the odds, of courage and ingenuity in adversity. It is a legend of free and independent spirits whose discipline derived less from military formalities and customs than from the bonds of mateship and the demands of necessity.

It is a democratic tradition, the tradition in which Australians have gone to war ever since.

This Unknown Australian is not interred here to glorify war over peace; or to assert a soldier's character above a civilian's; or one race or one nation or one religion above another; or men above women; or the war in which he fought and died above any other war; or of one generation above any that has or will come later.

The Unknown Soldier honours the memory of all those men and women who laid down their lives for Australia.

His tomb is a reminder of what we have lost in war and what we have gained.

We have lost more than 100,000 lives, and with them all their love of this country and all their hope and energy.

We have gained a legend: a story of bravery and sacrifice and, with it, a deeper faith in ourselves and our democracy, and a deeper understanding of what it means to be Australian.

It is not too much to hope, therefore, that this Unknown Australian Soldier might continue to serve his country - he might enshrine a nation's love of peace and remind us that in the sacrifice of the men and women whose names are recorded here there is faith enough for all of us.

The Hon. P.J. Keating MP

Prime Minister of Australia

A staff member at the memorial, told us that on that day, whilst people were waiting for the Service to begin, someone, just because they could, stuck a poppy in the wall of Remembrance.   Others followed and hence began the tradition of placing poppies in the Wall.

This iconic scene has been immortalised by wonderful Australian Textile Artist Lucy Carroll in a wonderful quilt she called "Soldier On" after the wonderful organisation of the same name.  

You really need to click on this link to appreciate the full beauty of this quilt.  Lucy is not only an exceptional artist, but is also an ex-serving member herself and her husband is currently serving in the Navy.   If you have not seen Lucy's work you really need to check out her blog.   She has some amazing projects on the go.

Thanks very much Marlene. A great post!  If anyone else has any ideas for a post they might like to write please let me know.  You can PM me or send me an email.  friendsofAHQ@gmail.com.  This is another way you can contribute to Aussie Heroes. 

Just before I go - we have another crop of quilts and laundry bags heading off this week.   If you have sent 
something off and I have not listed your name below please let me know. 
Anna
Debbie
Grace
Jacqui S
Joan
Kim
Lynn
Liz B
Maddy
Pam Y 
Robyn
Sally
Su

Till next time......................keep spreading the word and happy stittching!  

Jan-Maree  xx