The Concordia sentinel. (Vidalia, Concordia Parish, La.) 1882-current, 1921-01-01

who lost their husbands only They were given
positions in accordance with the price they had
paid during the war. girl who wrote she had
lost nine brothers killed or missing was given
ticket, as was also twelveyear-old boy who wrote:
THE man in the coffin might be my daddy"
AS big Ben," the great clock in the tower OF
the parliament building, began to strike the hour
OF eleven King George facing the coffin of .he
unknown soldier, which was resting gun car
riage, drew cord that released the union jack
draped about cenotaph in Whitehall erected to
the GLORIOUS Dead" and after the last stroke Of
the hour, thousands of people, who crowded
Whitehall as far could see in either dirac-
ton, remained absolutely silent for two minutes.
During the brief services in the nave of the
abbey the king stood at the foot of the grave the
royal ladies and princes ranging themselves on
either side. The casket transferred from the
carriage to the altar where the archbishop of
Canterbury conducted the solemn funeral ritual.
As the coffin finally was lowered into its crypt
a battery of artillery in the adjoining ST. James
park, fired a field marshals salute of 10 guns
the highest military honor accorded anyone oft
side royal rank.
Official and civilian France paid honor to tie
memory of the nations who fell during the
Great War; the ceremonies lending a solemn at
mosphere to the celebration of the second anti
versary of the armistice. Paris, accustomed 20
observing its victory days and national fetes wish
rejoicing. turned aside this year and dedicated
flee by hundreds Of thousands Of dead who are
sleeping in cemeteries along the battle lines
Called from its grave the field of Verdun,
the body of an unidentified French "poilu" was
carried with pomp and ceremony through TIE
streets and reburied under the Arc de Triompke
The bodies Of eight unidentified French soldiers,
exhumed from as many sectors of the former bat
tie line from the Belgian frontier to the Vosgss,
arrived at the Verdun citadel the day before
In low casemate the eight bodies lay in stare
that night surrounded by thousand lighted caa-
dies while stern men and weeping women fled
silently past On a stand nearby were trophies
from the City of Verdun which were to be de-
posted upon the coffin of the unknown soldier
chosen and to accompany the body In its lat
journey TO the Arc de Triomphe, there to remain
throughout time The trophies were the Crofx
de Guerre. the insignia of the Eegion of Honor
the Military Cross, the Order of Leopold the Dis
tingulshed Service Medals, sabers of honor pra-
ssnted by China and Japan, the Greek War Cross
the Italian Military Medal and numerous others
One body was chosen from among the eight l,y
Private August Thin, native of Caen Brittany
who was volunteer during the war; At the re-
quest of Andre Maginot, minister of pensions. the
veteran placed his hand one coffin and the
veterans choice was the unknown Dead" of a
solemn and impressive ceremony.
In addition France took occasion to remember
that 80 years ago the country. defeated by Ger
many, owed its very existence for time to Leon
Gambetta, who took virtual control of affairs IN
Paris when the city was besieged by Germans and
later succeeded In organizing armies to continue
the futile struggle against the Teuton invaders.
The heart of Gambetta. which had been pre-
served since his death in 1892 was inurned in
TIE Pantheon the national shrine of France
The procession formed In Place Denfert Ro-
chereau at 80 o'clock, the head Of the co,umn
standing in the shadow of the huge statue OF the
Lion of Belfort which represents the spirit OF the