Portsmouth military wives' joy over album tribute to nation's fallen war heroes

MILITARY wives from across the Portsmouth area are singing for joy after helping to record a new album '“ that is soon to be released nationwide.
The Portsmouth Military Wives ChoirThe Portsmouth Military Wives Choir
The Portsmouth Military Wives Choir

Entitled Remember, the 12-track record is commemorating the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.

A team of 35 women from the Portsmouth Military Wives Choir are among those from 69 groups across the UK and abroad to feature on the uplifting album, earmarked for release in June.

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It’s been a process that has taken months of hard work, with the city’s contingent of singers travelling to London in January to record their segments.

Now, just weeks away from the album’s launch, the choir has spoken out about what it feels like to be part of the project.

Lieutenant Commander Marie Whitehouse is part of the group. She said: ‘This album is not just about remembering those that gave their lives in the Great War, but also those that stayed behind, not knowing when or if they would see their husbands, brothers, fathers and sons again.

‘Remembering the sacrifices that they too made for our country.

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‘This is something that is still significant today amongst military families, a story that we as the Military Wives Choir can uniquely tell, and a chance for those of us that serve to show how truly grateful we are to those that we leave behind for keeping things together in our absence.

‘It was an honour to record the album, the tracks are beautifully written and composed and very thought provoking, particularly around the 100th anniversary of what was supposed to be the war to end all wars.’

The voices of the team feature in four hauntingly beautiful songs – an opportunity many have relished.

Tina Brown said it was a chance to remember those who had made the ‘ultimate sacrifice’, while Juliet Swann said it was an opportunity to ‘honour those that have fallen and who continue to fight’.

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The album’s first track, entitled The Poppy Red, has already been released.

It is a song especially written for the album by composer Owain Park and takes its inspiration from the 1918 poem We Shall Keep the Faith.

The full album will go on sale on Friday, June 29, coinciding with Armed Forces Day on Saturday, June 30.

To hear The Poppy Red, go to the Military Wives Choirs’ Youtube channel.