logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2024
38m 42s

The Unknown Warrior

History Hit
About this episode

In the western nave of Westminster Abbey, nestled between illustrious tombs and beneath a slab of black Belgian marble, lies the body of an unidentified soldier of the First World War. He is remembered as the Unknown Warrior, a symbol of the half a million Commonwealth servicemen who went missing between 1914 and 1918, their earthly remains lost to the chaos of conflict.


As Remembrance Day approaches and guided by John Nichol, former RAF navigator and author of 'The Unknown Warrior', we journey from the horrors of the Western Front to Westminster Abbey. He explains the profound importance this monument held for the many millions suffering from collective grief after the incomprehensible losses of World War One.


Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.


Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off for 3 months using code ‘DANSNOW’.


We'd love to hear from you - what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.


You can take part in our listener survey here.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
The Rise & Fall of Babylon
Babylon has a PR problem, and it's 2,600 years in the making.The Bible remembers it as the ultimate city of sin, the place that crushed Jerusalem and dragged the Jewish people into exile. But if you look beyond this chapter, you find history's first true megacity. An ancient metr ... Show More
48m 32s
Aug 31
Templar's Tunnels, HMS Victory and Troy: History's Best Historical Sites with Dan Jones
The two great Dans of history - Dan Snow and Dan Jones - team up to explore the stories behind some of the world's best historical sites. Dan Jones explains the mysteries of the Templars' Tunnels in the Old City of Acre and Dan Snow tells the story of Nelson's last moments on HMS ... Show More
32m 38s
Aug 27
The Brutal History of The First Warplanes
Flying aces, flaming wreckage and deadly dogfights in the skies defined the First World War’s brutal air war. From fragile reconnaissance planes to lethal fighter aircraft, aerial warfare evolved at astonishing speed. Today we hear the stories of legendary aces like the Red Baron ... Show More
50m 55s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2021
118. End of the First World War & Remembrance
On the anniversary of the day the guns fell silent on the Western Front, we look at the last moments of the First World War – and how we remember them. How did Remembrance Day start? What are the stories behind the Cenotaph and the Unknown Warrior? Why do we wear poppies? And wil ... Show More
56m 43s
Mar 2019
The Known Unknown
<p>The tradition of the Tomb of the Unknowns goes back only about a century, but it has become one of the most solemn and reverential monuments. When President Reagan added the remains of an unknown serviceman who died in combat in Vietnam to the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington ... Show More
45m 14s
Nov 2023
The Known Unknown [rebroadcast]
<p>Roman note: This is one of my favorite episodes of all time. Should be a movie. Enjoy!</p><p>The tradition of the Tomb of the Unknowns goes back only about a century, but it has become one of the most solemn and reverential monuments. When President Reagan added the remains of ... Show More
45m 21s
Aug 2021
90. The Western Front
The slaughter and bloodshed on the Western Front in World War One helped shape the narrative of the 20th century. But was it a case of lions led by donkeys? Gary Sheffield, historian and author of Forgotten Victory: The First World War - Myths and Realities, joins Tom Holland and ... Show More
1h 2m
Oct 2013
The First World War and Richard III
Sir Max Hastings explores the origins and bloody outbreak of the First World War, while Philippa Langley and Michael Jones describe the discovery of Richard III's remains Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastc ... Show More
1h 13m
Nov 2025
Ghosts of War Part 6
Sometimes the past doesn’t want to stay buried. and the echoes of war can reach across time to claim the living. These are stories of restless soldiers, haunted houses, and the people who unknowingly step into their shadows. On this Veterans Day, we remember the fallen who gave u ... Show More
30m 8s
Nov 2023
Love, Lust & Fighting in World War II
It can be hard to comprehend the magnitude of historical events, with World War Two a prime example of this.By 1945, some 3 million British people had served. As such, the rich diversity of masculinity and sexuality of those men is often reduced or hidden from the history books.W ... Show More
42m 1s