Overview

Reverend David Railton MC served as a chaplain on the Western Front during World War I. Attached to three divisions between 1916 and 1918, Railton supported the soldiers in their worst moments, he buried the fallen, comforted the wounded, wrote to the families of the missing and killed, and helped the survivors to remember and mark the loss of their comrades so that they were able to carry on. He was with his men at many battles, including High Wood, the Aisne and Passchendaele; he received the Military Cross for rescuing an officer and two men under heavy fire on the Somme. It was Railton's idea to bring home the body of an unidentified fallen comrade from the battlefields to be buried in Westminster Abbey, and on Armistice Day 1920, his flag covered the coffin as the Unknown Warrior was laid to rest with full honours. Although suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, he returned to work as a parish priest in Margate, where he took particular interest in supporting ex-servicemen who had returned home to the aftermath of a terrible war and crippling unemployment.While the story of the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior has been told before, this is the first book to explore David Railton's life and war, and of 'the padre's flag' he used as an altar cloth and shroud throughout the war. The flag was consecrated a year after the burial of the Unknown Warrior and hangs in Westminster Abbey to this day. This book explains how the idea came out of Railton's traumatic experiences on the Western front, and how he made his idea become reality, drawing on his letters and unpublished papers. AUTHOR: Andrew Richards served 22 years with the Household Cavalry. During his last years of service, he graduated from the Open University with a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours in Humanities with History and Classical Studies. Since retiring from the Army, he has written both fiction and non-fiction titles. He lives in New York with his wife and children. 16 pages of photographs

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9781612004471

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This is a well-researched book...The style of writing brings home something of what it was to be an army chaplain amid the battles in France and Flanders. * Methodist Recorder * The book is an attractive addition to the mass of literature about the First World War and about the tasks and frequent heroism of the chaplains. * Church Times * ...a worthwhile biography and one well worth reading. * Long Long Trail * We have waited nearly a century for Reverend David Railton's story, and this book does this humble and decent man a great service. It is an extraordinary story. * Guards Magazine *

The Flag is a memoir full of hope and inspiration. It offers up a lesson to us all. It's a must-read and, once and for all, ensures the life and times of Padre Railton will never be forgotten. BRITAIN AT WAR BOOK OF THE MONTH NOVEMBER 2018 * Britain at War Magazine * This is a well-researched book...The style of writing brings home something of what it was to be an army chaplain amid the battles in France and Flanders. * Methodist Recorder * The book is an attractive addition to the mass of literature about the First World War and about the tasks and frequent heroism of the chaplains. * Church Times * ...a worthwhile biography and one well worth reading. * Long Long Trail * We have waited nearly a century for Reverend David Railton's story, and this book does this humble and decent man a great service. It is an extraordinary story. * Guards Magazine * Railton's is a story worth telling and Richard's narrative of wartime events and peacetime social conditions is clear and effective. * Stand to! *

Author Information

Andrew Richards served 22 years with the Household Cavalry. During his last years of service, he graduated from the Open University with a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours in Humanities with History and Classical Studies. Since retiring from the Army, he has written both fiction and non-fiction titles. His first non-fiction book, The Flag, was published by Casemate in 2016.

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