Most headstones are inscribed with a cross , except for those deceased known to be atheist or non @-@ Christian . In the case of burials of Victoria Cross or George Cross recipients , the regimental badge is supplemented by the Victoria Cross or George Cross emblem . Sometimes a soldier employed a pseudonym because they were too young to serve or were sought by law enforcement ; in such cases their primary name is shown along with the notation " served as " . Many headstones are for unidentified casualties ; they consequently bear only what could be discovered from the body . The epitaph , developed by Rudyard Kipling , that appears on the graves of unidentified soldiers for which no details are known is " A Soldier of the Great War known unto God " . Some headstones bear the text " believed to be buried in this cemetery " when they are believed to be buried in the cemetery but the exact location of the grave is not known . In some cases soldiers were buried in collective graves and distinguishing one body from another was not possible and thus one headstone covers more than one grave . The headstone does not denote any specific details of the death except for its date , and even then only if it is known , and are deliberately ambiguous about the cause of death .