Unknown soldier Tomb under the Paris Arc de Triomphe

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was mentioned in the first year of the Great War. Many projects to honor the dead were born. Thus, plaques and guest books multiplied. The mention "died for France" was instituted by the law of July 2, 1915. As early as November 1916, François Simon was the first to mention the idea of "opening the doors of the Pantheon to one of the unknown combatants who died bravely". The idea did not really take shape until after the end of the conflict. On September 12, 1919, the Chamber of Deputies finally adopted the proposal to bury "one of the disinherited of death" in the Pantheon, which caused controversy with political ulterior motives. Finally, on November 8, 1920, the Chamber compromised by proposing the Arc de Triomphe as a burial place, which was favorable to the veterans' associations.

Choice of the Unknown Soldier among 8 unknowns who died for France

On November 10, 1920 a soldier was chosen at random from among 8 unidentified bodies by a young soldier (Auguste Thin) of the guard of honor present at the fort of Verdun. Of course, since that date, historians and history buffs have tried unsuccessfully to discover the identity of this soldier, who was otherwise totally unknown to the authorities who chose him.

The seven other remains that were not chosen during the ceremony of November 10, 1920, rest in the military cemetery of Faubourg Pavé, near Verdun, in the "Carré des sept inconnus".

Transport of the Unknown Soldier from Verdun to Paris

The coffin of the Unknown Soldier left Verdun under military escort. It was transported by train to Paris to the Pantheon where the President of the Republic, Alexandre Millerand, gave a speech. The coffin was kept in vigil all night long at the Place Denfert-Rochereau, and the next day, November 11, 1920, it made a solemn entrance under the Arch of Triumph, placed on the artillery extension of a 155 mm canon. The coffin was placed in one of the rooms of the Arc de Triomphe, which had been converted into a chapelle ardente. The burial in the tomb as it is today will take place on January 28, 1921.

Burial of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe on January 28, 1921

The body of an Unidentified Soldier was buried 100 years ago, in the center of Arc de Triomphe January 28, 1921. The ceremony was attended by civil and military authorities, including the Marshals who distinguished themselves in the First World War (Foch, Joffre and Pétain). Also present were the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Henri Jaspar, the British Prime Minister, David Lloyd George, and a representative of Portugal. At 8:30 in the morning, the troops presented their weapons. The Minister of War, Louis Barthou, bowed to the coffin and declaimed, "In the name of piously grateful and unanimous France, I salute the Unknown Soldier who died for her."

The flame of remembrance in honor of the dead of the 1st world war

Two years later, André Maginot, then Minister of War, supported the project to install a "flame of remembrance" which was lit for the first time on November 11, 1923 (date of the armistice of November 11, 1918, end of the First World War). Since this date this flame has never been extinguished. It is rekindled every day of the year at 18:30 exactly, by representatives of associations of veterans and victims of war.

The ceremony of the rekindling of the flame is public and takes place every evening in the middle of the population. Every passer-by can attend from the barriers, within the limits of the security measures that can be put in place by the National Police and the military authorities.

How to approach the Unknown Soldier Tomb

To see the tomb of the Unknown Soldier up close, you just have to go under the arches of the Arc de Triomphe through the tunnel that runs under the Place Charles de Gaulle (one entrance on the Champs Elysées side and another diametrically opposite the square), just like visiting the Arc de Triomphe.

It is written on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier : "Here lies a French Soldier who died for his country".