The Unknown Warrior conceived in 1916 by the Reverend David Railton, who, while serving as an army chaplain on the Western Front, had seen a grave marked by a rough cross, which bore the pencil-written legend 'An Unknown British Soldier'. He wrote to the Dean of Westminster in 1920 proposing that an unidentified British soldier from the battlefields in France be buried with due ceremony in Westminster Abbey "amongst the kings" to represent the many hundreds of thousands of Empire dead. The idea was strongly supported by the Dean and the Prime Minister David Lloyd George. Arrangements were placed in the hands of
LMS Patriot Class 5551 The Unknown Warrior was later stored in the ex EWS wagon depot, was secured for use with 'The Unknown Warrior'. The first tender provided the group with the three wheel-sets they needed for the engine's new tender as well as two sets of axle boxes, the other four not being usable due to damage alongside the salt air at Barry Island causing corrosion. The springs despite being exposed to the elements and salt air were fit for reuse and were removed for refurbishment at Rowan Springs in Rotherham. The frames, however, were in very poor condition so they alongside the other unusable parts