Fathers who serve in the military give up a significant portion of their life with their families in order to fight for their nation.
If you ask any member of a military family, they will all tell you that living in a military family is never easy. It’s difficult to be apart from one another for months at a time while always fearing that this may be the final time they see one other.
Decca Records intended to honor the sacrifices made by military families in order to commemorate their efforts on behalf of the nation.
Decca Records conducted a talent hunt among members of the Armed Forces’ families in the United Kingdom. Children with a parent or sibling serving in the United Kingdom or abroad were eligible to participate in the talent hunt. They were able to narrow the field down to 60 candidates from more than a thousand applications. Eleven people made it to the finals after passing the live auditions.
The Poppy Girls are a group of five young women who made it through a rigorous search procedure to come together.
Megan Adams (10), Bethany Davey (15), Charlotte Mellor (17), Alice Milburn (13), and Florence Ransom are among the Poppy Girls (10). Their dads are all active-duty military personnel.
Megan started singing a year before she was selected for the talent competition. Lieutenant Commander William Adams, her father, had been stationed at the base in the Indian Ocean for six months when she was born.
Bethany said that she was “always too nervous to sing in front of my family, much alone in front of a large crowd.”
Her father, Lance Corporal Dean Davey, had previously served with the 9th/12th Royal Lancers and the 151 (London) Transport Regiment, Royal Logistics Corps, among other regiments and organizations.
Charlotte is just 17 years old, yet she has already resided in eight different locations throughout her life.
This is due to the fact that her father, Wing Commander Paul Mellor, was sent to various RAF stations on a regular basis. She ultimately found a more stable environment at a boarding school in Cambridge, where she eventually settled.
Alice has always had a musical inclination.
“It seems that I began singing before I could speak,” she said.
She was also a talented musician on the ukelele and the piano. Her father, Captain Philip Milburn, was a member of the Royal Navy, and her mother, Mrs. Margaret Milburn, was a member of the Royal Air Force for eight years.
From the time she was four years old, Florence has been singing.
A member of the Military Wives chorus, her father, Lieutenant Ben Ransom, is also a Royal Navy officer, and she followed in her mother’s footsteps by becoming a member as well.
The song “The Call (No Need To Say Goodbye)” was written by American singer-songwriter Regina Spektor for The Poppy Girls’ first single, “The Call (No Need To Say Goodbye).
At the Royal British Legion’s Festival of Remembrance, they gave the first public performance of the song in its entirety. The premiere of The Poppy Girls was attended by a number of distinguished visitors, including Queen Elizabeth II.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Charles Byrne, chief of fundraising at the Royal British Legion, said, “This is a hauntingly beautiful music performed by a bunch of ladies who understand what it’s like to have family members who are always in danger.”
Decca Records formed the singing group and recorded the song as a means of expressing gratitude to all of the men and women who have given their lives and sacrificed their families in the service of their nation.
They hoped to generate £80 million for the Royal British Legion with the song.
The Royal British Legion is a British charitable organization that was established in 1921. Men and women who have served or are currently serving in the Royal Navy, British Army, or Royal Air Force, and their families may get financial, social, and emotional assistance from the organization.
The commemoration of the conclusion of World War One takes place on Remembrance Sunday, which falls on the second Sunday in November every year.
On this day, marching bands, parades, church services, wreath and poppy laying ceremonies, as well as the Festival of Remembrance, are held in the afternoon and evening. On this day, at 11 am, everyone comes to a halt and unites together in silence to mourn the fallen warriors of World War I.
While attending the Festival of Remembrance, the Legion was moved by The Poppy Girls’ performance and wished to repay their kindness by donating to them.
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