Charity single's tribute to the servicemen of the Great War
This week saw us embarking on a campaign of a different kind – we released a Christmas single with the wonderfully talented RAF Spitfire Choir and Flight Lieutenant Matt Little from RAF College Cranwell. Raising money for us, The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity and ABF The Soldiers' Charity, the single pays tribute to those who lost their lives in the Great War.
Accompanied by an equally moving video, the song is racing up the charts and we now have the festive number one spot in our sights!
100 years ago in December 1914 on the Western Front, German and Allied soldiers stepped out of their trenches, shook hands and agreed a truce so their dead could be buried. It was a moment when hostilities stopped, soldiers forgot their differences and chatted as men.
It was this moment that inspired composer Chris Eaton’s haunting melody for 1914 – The Carol Of Christmas – released on Sunday to raise money for Armed Forces families.
Featuring an ensemble of military voices and soloists including Flight Lieutenant Matt Little, the RAF Spitfire Choir and 12-year-old Canterbury Cathedral chorister and BBC Radio 2’' 2014 Young Chorister of the Year Finalist William Inscoe, the song celebrates the power of Christmas to bring peace in the midst of war.
We were honoured to film the video at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey – a fitting setting to remember the men who sacrificed so much. As well as the soloists and choir, the video features the Royal Marines Corps of Drums and representatives from the Sea Cadets, the Army Cadet Force and the Air Training Corps.
We are delighted that after the song’s release on 30 November and after only three days, the video has been watched over 20,000 times and was at one point, number one on the ITunes Christmas songs chart! We are incredibly grateful to everybody who has supported it so far – please tell your family and friends about it and help us raise vital funds for Armed Forces families this Christmas.
Buy the single
You can purchase the single from Amazon.