Unknown Soldier

Unknown Soldier, unidentified remains of a soldier killed in action, ceremonially entombed as the representative of all the war dead of his country, and accorded national honours. After World War I many nations selected an unknown soldier as a tribute to those who had made the supreme sacrifice.

In Britain the unknown soldier is buried in Westminster Abbey. In the United States the unknown soldier is interred in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia. The unknown soldier of France lies under the Arc de Triomphe, in Paris; the Belgian unknown soldier is in a tomb at the base of the Colonnade of the Congress, in Brussels; and the Italian unknown soldier is buried in Rome, in front of the monument to King Victor Emmanuel II. Special ceremonies are held on Armistice Day (known as Veterans Day in the United States) to honour the unknown soldiers. Tribute is paid to the American unknown soldiers on Memorial Day also. France pays similar tribute on Bastille Day. Anzac Day in Australia and New Zealand commemorates the war dead of both countries.