This edited article about the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 252 published on 12 November 1966.

The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior

After the First World War (1914-18), many countries wanted to express their gratitude to the ordinary men who fought so gallantly in such horrifying conditions.

A British chaplain who had served in Flanders suggested that an unknown soldier be chosen from the many who lay in unmarked graves and buried in Westminster Abbey, as a representative of the multitude who had lost their lives. It was further suggested that the ceremonial burial should take place on the same day as the Cenotaph at Whitehall was formally consecrated – Armistice Day, 11 November, 1920.

Strict, precautions were taken to ensure that the chosen soldier should remain anonymous. A number of bodies were brought from different areas, and from these one was secretly chosen. A coffin bearing the body was brought to Boulogne where it was put on board ship for England.

After the ceremony at the Cenotaph, the coffin was borne in procession to the Abbey. King George V headed those who solemnly trod in its wake. It was buried in soil brought from France amidst famous men whose graves are in the Abbey.

This edited article about Charles II originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 229 published on 4 June 1966.

Charles II hiding in the oak tree

On May 29, 1660, the streets of London were packed with cheering crowds waving oak leaves. The city was welcoming King Charles II back from exile. The oak leaves were an appropriate touch by the Royalists to remind them of Charles’s last escape before he was forced into exile.

After Cromwell had so decisively defeated the Royalists at Worcester on September 3, 1651, the King and a companion slipped past the regiments of enemy cavalry and eventually got to Boscobel Manor in Shropshire, held by a staunch royalist.

While the royal party were having dinner, a strong force of Cromwell’s cavalry was approaching. King Charles and his companion just had time to run into the garden and climb into an oak tree, where they remained hidden while the Roundheads searched the house and grounds. Miraculously, none of the pursuers thought of looking in the tree, although the fugitives held their breath when the Roundheads paused close to where they were hidden!

When the Roundheads gave up the search, King Charles and his companion made for the coast and the safety of exile in France.

Besides being the date of King Charles’s restoration to the throne, May 29 was also the King’s birthday. It is still celebrated as Founder’s Day at the Royal Hospital, Greenwich, which was established by King Charles II as a home for old soldiers. On May 29 a statue of the king in the hospital grounds is decorated with oak leaves and solemnly saluted by the Chelsea pensioners.

Here are three of our best pictures of the London Underground, showing its construction and the first journey taken by the directors, bankers, shareholders and distinguished guests.

The construction of the London Underground by Harry Green

The River Fleet broke through a huge cutting’s brick wall during the construction of the London Underground by Harry Green

The great and the good take a ride in open carriages on the first London Underground line.

Railway Directors, shareholders and special guests at the grand opening of the London Underground on 9 January, 1863, by Harry Green

This edited article about Queen Elizabeth II originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 804 published on 11th June 1977.

The Queen’s Silver Jubilee by Clive Uptton

Twenty-four years ago on a June day in 1953, the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II took place in London. Thousands of Britons and visitors from abroad lined the streets to see her pass and millions more watched the ceremony on television.

Although Elizabeth was not born to be monarch, she did not have the important role thrust upon her as had been her father’s case. She was almost eleven when her uncle, Edward VIII, abdicated in 1936 and, from that time, she began the training necessary for an heir to the throne.

She remained, however, “a most unaffected little girl” and when travelling in her father’s Coronation procession, it was obvious from her beaming smile that she was having a good time.

Like many other little girls she loved dogs and horses; joined the Girl Guides; learned to swim and took part in a village concert.

During the Second World War she held a commission in the Auxiliary Territorial Service and went on a course at a driving training centre. There she became very proficient at changing wheels and cleaning plugs.

In 1947 Princess Elizabeth went with her parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, and her sister to South Africa and Rhodesia. She celebrated her twenty-first birthday while on this tour. Soon after their return the King announced the engagement of his elder daughter to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, R.N. (now Duke of Edinburgh).

The couple were married in November 1947 at Westminster Abbey. After the bleak austerity of the War and post-war period, the country delighted in the romance and pageantry of the Royal wedding.

On 15th November 1948, Prince Charles was born and two years later, in 1950, Princess Elizabeth gave birth to a second child, Princess Anne.

It had long been projected that the King should tour Kenya, Ceylon, Australia and New Zealand, but the grave state of his health made it impossible. So, on January 31st 1952, Princess Elizabeth and her husband left London in his place. The King and other members of the Royal family were at London Airport to see them off. The King watched the plane until it was “no more than a speck against the clouds”.

The first stop on the tour was Nairobi, Kenya and, after a few days of official engagements, the Princess and the Duke went for a brief holiday in the forest lodge at Nyeri which had been Kenya’s wedding gift to them. On February 5th, they stayed overnight at the famous Treetops Hotel, which is built in a large tree in the forest overlooking a water hole where many animals go to drink.

The next morning Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip returned to Nyeri and it was there that the news of the King’s death reached them. Elizabeth left England a Princess and returned a Queen.

During the past twenty-five years, the Queen and Prince Philip have shared times of national disaster and national rejoicing with the people of Britain. They have made visits to other heads of state and undertaken more Commonwealth tours, including a highly-successful one earlier this year.

Throughout the year, and especially this week, many different events have taken place, and will take place, to celebrate the Silver Jubilee and to wish the Queen many more happy years as monarch.

There is also a national holiday on June 7th in honour of the occasion.

Six months ago we thought it would be interesting to make a collection of postcards sent in 1913, the reasoning, of course, being that 1913 was the year before the world fell to pieces and so images from that year have a peculiar poignancy.

We looked through not less than 70,000 postcards, and bought 300.  These we have further refined down to 100 which we think best summarise, albeit idiosyncratically, the end of an era.

To see a picture show of these 100 postcards sent in 1913, click here.

The images are available for commercial licensing through the Bridgeman Art Library.

To wish visitors to the Look and Learn website a Very Happy Christmas we have created a slide show of Christmas cards, all rather different from what you may have received this year.  They come from the Valerie Jackson Harris collection.

To enjoy the slide show, click here.

This edited article about the Unknown Soldier originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 774 published on 13th November 1975.

The tomb of the Unkown Soldier in Westminster Abbey

After the First World War (1914-18), many countries wanted to express their gratitude to the ordinary men who fought so gallantly in such horrifying conditions.

A British chaplain who had served in Flanders suggested that an unknown soldier be chosen from the many who lay in unmarked graves and buried in Westminster Abbey, as a representative of the multitude who had lost their lives. It was further suggested that the ceremonial burial should take place on the same day as the Cenotaph at Whitehall was formally consecrated – Armistice Day, 11 November, 1920.

Strict precautions were taken to ensure that the chosen soldier should remain anonymous. A number of bodies were brought from different areas, and from these one was secretly chosen. A coffin bearing the body was brought to Boulogne where it was put on board ship for England.

After the ceremony at the Cenotaph, the coffin was borne in procession to the Abbey. King George V headed those who solemnly walked behind it. It was buried in soil brought from France amidst the famous men and women buried in the Abbey.

This edited article about the Pilgrim Fathers originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 765 published on 11th September 1976.

Men of the Mayflower by Ron Embleton

The Mayflower, with 120 men, women and children on board, set sail from Plymouth on 6th September, 1620, to found the first permanent English colony on the coast of the American State of New England. Better known as the Pilgrim Fathers, the colonists were fleeing from religious persecution.

The Pilgrim Fathers spent more than two storm-tossed months at sea cooped up in their tiny ship. They anchored off the bleak and desolate shores of Cape Cod on the evening of November 19th, having completed the most famous voyage to America since that of Columbus.

The anniversary of the founding of their settlement in Plymouth, Massachusetts, is still celebrated on 22nd December.

This edited article about anniversaries originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 758 published on 24th July 1976.

W G Grace in the famous Ashes Test at Lords by John Keay

On July 19th, 1333, the Scots and the English met in battle at Halidon Hill, near Berwick-on-Tweed. The conflict ended in disaster for the Scots.

During this week, it was the custom among the Roman peasants to foregather in the Roman Campagna, in Northern Italy. There they all combined to reap the wheat, of which thousands of acres waved in the breeze.

Also this week, in the year 1690, died Richard Gibson, miniature-painter in every sense of the phrase to the court of Charles I. Miniature is the word, because Richard was a dwarf, measuring no more than three and a half feet high.

One of the greatest cricketers of all time was born on July 18th, 1848. He was William Gilbert Grace, who scored 54,000 runs between 1863 and 1900.

This son of a famous cricketing family stood over six feet tall, and with his long black beard he was always an impressive figure at the wicket. He died on October 23rd, 1915.