Overview

THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLER  ‘Compelling… [Nichol has a] terrific eye for detail; an ability to blend tear-jerking letters, quotation and personal anecdotes into a rich, thought-provoking narrative’ Daily Telegraph  Over one million British Empire soldiers were killed during the First World War. More than a century later, over half a million still have no known grave.  The scale of the fighting, the catastrophic destruction, the relentless military engagement and glutinous mud meant that many of the dead were never identified, of often, never recovered. Names were left without bodies, and bodies, or fragments of bodies, without names.  To help staunch the tide of national grief in the aftermath of the conflict, an idea was born for a single 'Unknown Warrior' representing all the missing, to be brought from the battlefields and buried in Westminster Abbey alongside the nation's kings and queens.  Using diaries, archives and interviews with the descendants of that generation and modern-day experts, Sunday Times bestselling author and former RAF Tornado navigator John Nichol draws on his own experience of combat and loss to shine light on this 100-year-old story. And in speaking to those who have lost loved ones in more modern conflicts, he examines our continuing need for a tangible resting place at which to truly grieve the fallen.  His search for answers becomes a moving and personal journey, exploring the true meaning of camaraderie, service, sacrifice and remembrance. 

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9781398509443

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Reviews

'It is rare to find a tale so strange, intimate and human yet at the same time so enormous, so global in its importance. Yet again John Nichol impresses us with his ability to weave together the little details and the grand narrative' -- Dan Snow 'I was very moved by John Nichol's Unknown Warrior -- it is a beautiful, compassionate, emotional book. Utterly fabulous; an astonishing achievement' -- Dr Robert Lyman MBE FRHistS, writer and historian

'It is rare to find a tale so strange, intimate and human yet at the same time so enormous, so global in its importance. Yet again John Nichol impresses us with his ability to weave together the little details and the grand narrative' -- Dan Snow 'I was very moved by John Nichol's Unknown Warrior -- it is a beautiful, compassionate, emotional book. Utterly fabulous; an astonishing achievement' -- Dr Robert Lyman MBE FRHistS, writer and historian 'A wonderful book; incredibly moving and thought-provoking. John Nichol is uniquely placed to explore a soldier's worst nightmare: to be forgotten. The Unknown Warrior is a mind-churning exploration of how people and nations attempt to find peace when those who gave their lives for them cannot be laid to rest. It is a moving and original tribute to the men and women who may never have a grave but will always be remembered' -- Katja Hoyer FRHistS

'It is rare to find a tale so strange, intimate and human yet at the same time so enormous, so global in its importance. Yet again John Nichol impresses us with his ability to weave together the little details and the grand narrative' -- Dan Snow 'I was very moved by John Nichol's Unknown Warrior -- it is a beautiful, compassionate, emotional book. Utterly fabulous; an astonishing achievement' -- Dr Robert Lyman MBE FRHistS, historian, co-author of Victory to Defeat: The British Army 1918–40 'A wonderful book; incredibly moving and thought-provoking. John Nichol is uniquely placed to explore a soldier's worst nightmare: to be forgotten. The Unknown Warrior is a mind-churning exploration of how people and nations attempt to find peace when those who gave their lives for them cannot be laid to rest. It is a moving and original tribute to the men and women who may never have a grave but will always be remembered' -- Katja Hoyer FRHistS, German-British historian, author of Beyond the Wall 'John Nichol's Unknown Warrior is, quite simply, truly superb. If you thought you knew the story of the nation's 'Unknown Warrior', then think again! This is a powerfully visceral, emotional, and hard-hitting piece of work that, at times, leaves one reeling from the astonishing stories that Nichol sets out across its information-packed pages. It is a subject which he necessarily deals with sensitively, conveying what is his clear and genuine passion in every word that he lays out, and in a manner that engages the reader from the start to the finish of this absolutely remarkable book' -- Andy Saunders, military historian and editor of Iron Cross magazine

Author Information

John Nichol served in the Royal Air Force for fifteen years. On active duty during the first Gulf War in 1991, his Tornado bomber was shot down during a mission over Iraq. Captured, tortured and held as a prisoner of war, John was paraded on television, provoking worldwide condemnation and leaving one of the most enduring images of the conflict.  John is the bestselling co-author of Tornado Down and author of many highly acclaimed Second World War epics including Spitfire and Lancaster, both of which were Sunday Times bestsellers. He has made a number of TV documentaries with Second World War veterans, written for national newspapers and magazines, and is a widely quoted commentator on military affairs. 

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