Rest in peace

Little is known about him other than his heroism. Few traces of him survive, save for the coffin that was gently borne through the historic streets of Fromelles yesterday. Yet under the blazing sun in a silent cemetery in northern France, this brave and unidentified soldier was finally laid to rest.

It was a solemn and fitting way to mark the way he gave his life 94 years ago. Killed during a catastrophic engagement with German forces, the precise details of his death have long since been lost.

What is clear and indisputable, however, is that he stands for so many more who perished in the defence of freedom.

It is made all the more poignant by the knowledge that today our men, and women, are still fighting and dying around the world, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan. The terrain, the enemy and the equipment may all be very different in 2010 but the bond between these modern heroes and their forebears is as strong as ever.

They know the importance of the unidentified soldier. So, too, does most of the rest of society. The freedoms we enjoy today are made all the more precious by the depth of the sacrifices made by an earlier generation.