Royal Navy officers release Christmas single 'Sailing Home For Christmas' written while onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth

Lieutenant Commander Dave Emery and Lieutenant Commander Phil Clark, a pair of Merlin Mk2 Observers, are hoping to fly high with their single, ‘Sailing Home For Christmas’.

The song was written whilst the two were serving on board HMS Queen Elizabeth as part of Operation Fortis last year.

The single will benefit the Portsmouth-based Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity (RNRMC) and the Culdrose Military Wives Choir, who provided backing vocals for the track.

It’s release comes as hundreds of families are reunited for the holidays with the return of HMS Defender and HMS Queen Elizabeth to Portsmouth.

The Helston-based pair decided to record the Christmas song with their band Little Red Ambulance after returning from a seven-month deployment to the Far East.

Lt Cdr Dave Emery said: ‘The idea for the song came from the building sense of excitement amongst all of us onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth as we got closer to home and seeing our families at Christmas time.

‘It is such a special moment for each of us as we see our loved ones after so much time away, and I wanted the song to try and encapsulate that feeling.’

Adrian Bell, chief executive of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity, said the single captured the ‘highs and lows of service life’.

He added: ‘The men and women of the Royal Navy routinely deploy all round the world for many weeks and months and can often accumulate not far short of two years separation in any three-year period.

‘We recognise that not everyone will be sailing home for Christmas and so our thoughts and thanks go to all those who will be deployed or on duty over this period. This time of year can be harder than usual for them as well as their families and loved ones back home.’

The song’s video was primarily filmed at Hamleys Toy Shop’s flagship store on Regent Street, with several shots from HMS Queen Elizabeth capturing the crowds cheering on returning sailors.