| Main Performers | Chelsea Pensioners,
British Legion,
British Red Cross Cadets,
St. John of Jerusalem Cadets,
Girls' Training Corps,
Women's Junior Air Corps,
Girl Guides,
Boy Scouts,
Girls' Life Brigade,
Boys' Brigade,
Women's Land Army,
Imperial War Graves,
Salvation Army,
Lighthouse Keepers,
Women's Voluntary Services,
National Fire Service,
Civil Defence Services,
Police,
Air Transport Auxiliary,
Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes,
Royal Canadian Air Force (Women's Division),
Canadian Women's Army Corps,
South African Women's Services,
Women's Auxiliary Air Force,
Auxiliary Territorial Service,
Women's Royal Naval Service,
Royal Air Force (RAF) Training Corps,
Army Training Force,
Royal Navy Sea Cadets,
Kemsley House 5th City of London HG,
34th County of London HG,
London River (South) HG,
Colonial Forces,
Royal Australian Air Force,
Royal Canadian Air Force,
Newfoundland Air Force,
Royal New Zealand Air Force,
Southern Rhodesian Air Force,
South African Air Force,
The Royal Air Force,
Australian Army,
Canadian Army,
Indian Army,
New Zealand Army,
Newfoundland Army,
South African Army,
The British Army,
The Merchant Navy,
The Royal Marines,
The Royal Australian Navy,
Royal Canadian Navy,
Royal Indian Navy
Newfoundland Navy,
Royal New Zealand Navy,
The Royal Navy
Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art Students,
Valentine Dyall
Arnold Greir - organ |
| Orchestra or Band | Massed Bands of The Brigade of Guards,
Royal Military School of Music Trumpeters,
Scots and Irish Guards Pipe Bands,
Royal Canadian Air Force Overseas Headquarters Band,
Band of The Royal Canadian Air Force |
| Conductors | Dr O H Peasgood,
Captain G H Willcocks,
Lieuenant M Roberts |
| Set List | 'Empire Medley For The Forces', Debroy Somers (Royal Canadian Air Force Overseas Headquarters Band),
Selection, 'The Leek', Myddleton (Royal Canadian Air Force Overseas Headquarters Band),
Selection, 'Merrie England', German (Royal Canadian Air Force Overseas Headquarters Band,)
March, 'Imperial Echoes', Safroni (Royal Canadian Air Force Overseas Headquarters Band),
'Fanfare of Trumpets' (Royal Military School of Music Trumpeters),
'God Save the King' (Massed Bands, Arnold Greir),
March, 'The Boys of The Old Brigade', Myddleton,
March, 'Children of The Regiment',
March 'Dawn of Freedom', Lotter,
March, 'Keep The Home Fires Burning', Novello,
March, 'The Great Little Army', Alford,
March, 'The Young May Moon',
March, 'Sons of The Brave', Bidgood,
March, 'March of The Home Guard', Halter,
March, 'Royal Air Force. March', Walford Davies,
March, 'Soldiers of The King', Stuart,
March, 'A Life On The Ocean Wave',
March, 'Heart of Oak',
March, 'For The Forces, Debroy Somers,
'It Comes From The Misty Ages', Elgar (Choir, Arnold Greir),
Hymn, 'For The Might of Thine Arm We Bless Thee', Horne (Choir, Arnold Greir),
'Advance Australia' (Band of The Royal Canadian Air Force),
'O Canada' (Royal Canadian Air Force overseas Headquarters Band),
'Kismet' (Royal Canadian Air Force overseas Headquarters Band)
'God Defend New Zealand' (Band of The Royal Canadian Air Force),
'San Mare' (Royal Canadian Air Force overseas Headquarters Band)
March, 'Crown Imperial', Walton,
'Ode To Commonwealth', Cecil Day Lewis (Valentine Dyall),
'Tarry No Longer', John Lydgate (Choir, Arnold Greir),
Hymn, 'He Who Would Valiant Be', Bunyan (Choir, Arnold Greir),
Anthem, 'I Vow To Thee My Country', Cecil Spring Rice (Choir, Arnold Greir),
'Salute To Empire Makers' (Valentine Dyall),
'Fanfare For Heroes', Bliss (Royal Military School of Music Trumpeters),
Hymn, 'Praise, My Soul, The King of Heaven' (Choir, Arnold Greir),
'Trumpet Voluntary', Purcell (Massed Bands),
Hymn, 'Abide With Me' (Massed Band, Choir, Arnold Greir),
March, 'Pomp and Circumstance, No.4', Elgar,
'The Song of Freedom',
'God Save the King' (The National Anthem) |
| Royal Presence | HM King George VI,
HM Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother),
HRH Princess Elizabeth,
HRH Princess Margaret
(The Lady Harlech, Sir Ulick Alexander and Wing Commander Peter Townsend, RAF were in attendance) |
| Performance Notes | "The King and Queen, who were accompanied by the Princesses, witnessed at the Albert Hall last night the most stirring tribute to the men and women who had served the Empire in the European war.
It was fitting that the occasion had been arranged for Empire Day for contingents from the series who had come from oversea when the Mother Country was threatened by the enemies of the King Emperor were represented. They included men of colour in khaki and the blue of the Royal Air Force who took part in this 'Festival of Empire' presented by the Empire Day Movement and the Sunday Empire News as a tribute to all who had served in the war.
In effect it was an unofficial indoor victory parade and it was treated as such by the great audience which filled the tiers of seats surrounding the arena from floor to roof. It was an occasion of restrained patriotic fervour as the various contingents marched down a red carpeted dais from an entrance beneath the Royal Box to their allotted seats behind the platform on either side of the great organ in front of which were the massed bands of the Brigade of Guards.
The scene was full of colour and movement. Above the organ a large crown was suspended bedecked by intertwined ribbons of red, white and blue in the shape of a V sign. The marchers were illuminated by spotlights from the roof, and the surrounding boxes were decorated with red and white flags in which the cross of St George predominated. On either side of the organ were draped the emblems of the Union Jack.
Their Majesties and their daughters were greeted as they entered the Royal Box by a fanfare of trumpeters of the Royal Military School of Music. The great audience then stood and sang the National Anthem, accompanied by the massed bands and the organ. After cheers for the Royal Family the march down the Hall began.
First came representatives of the Chelsea Pensioners and the British Legion while the bands played 'The Boys of the Old Brigade'. They were followed by the contingents of the younger generation, the children of the Empire who had voluntarily joined the various cadet movements and next came the 'Unsung Heroes', including two lighthouse keepers and some girls from the Women's Land Army, who were given a special cheer.
As the marching went on so the tiers of seats behind the platform reaching halfway to the roof became filled with the vivid colour of their uniforms and the stage below them with the standards which had preceded them, as they swung down the Hall to the marching tunes and the cheers of the audience.
There were the men and women who had fought the fires in the blitz, and the nurses of the Dominions and Britain who had tended the wounded in Italy and on the beaches of Normandy. Some London 'bobbies' struck a homely note as the band played 'Heroes All.' Pipers of the Scots and Irish Guards stirred the pulses, and cheers were raised for the Wrens and the ATS and men of the Home Guard. But the greatest enthusiasm was roused when the marching reached its climax, and there came the men of the Empire's fighting forces.
First there entered the men of the Air Forces of the Colonies with a great cheer at the end for the men of the RAF who stepped along to the music of their own RAF march. Fighting men from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa and India came next. The Britsh Army was worthily represented by Guardsmen. Then entered some women of the Merchant Navy, in civilian clothes, who were given a full-throated cheer, the Royal Marines, the naval contingents of the Dominions, and finally bluejackets of the Royal Navy, who marched to the music of 'Hearts of Oak'.
It was a worthy climax to the first part of the evenings programme. The rest with its tableaux, anthems and hymns was soothing though impressive ceremonial following the fervour of the earlier proceedings" (The Times, 25 May 1945) |
| Related Archival Material | Programme (RAHE/1/1945/79A) |