The idea may never have gained acceptance had Railton not belatedly taken action in August 1920. The idea was initially rejected by the British government, mainly on the basis that the Cenotaph had already by that time become established as Britain’s national war memorial. This inspired a similar proposal by 'The Daily Express' in 1919, which was backed by the Comrades of the Great War Association.
Because Railton initially kept the idea to himself, it was the French suggestion that entered circulation first. Just a few months later, in November 1916, Francois Simon, President of the Rennes Remembrance Society, proposed that the remains of an unidentified French soldier be interred in the Panthéon, the resting place of the great figures of French history.
