Military fathers sacrifice their lives and their time without families since they fight for their country.
If you ask every member of a military family, they will all tell you that living in a military family is never easy. It’s difficult to be separated from one to other for months, knowing that this could be the last time they see each other.
Decca Records intended to honor the sacrifices of Armed Forces families by rewarding their commitment for the country.
She organized a talent search among British Armed Forces families. Children with a father or brother serving in the military in the UK or abroad were able to participate in the talent search. They decreased the number of applicants from over a thousand to just 60. Eleven performers made it to the finals after passing the live auditions.
The Poppy Girls are one of the five young women who made it after a long search.
Megan Adams (10), Bethany Davey (15), Charlotte Mellor (17), Alice Milburn (13), and Florence Ransom among the Poppy Girls. Their fathers are all in the military. Megan started singing about a year before the talent show. Lieutenant Commander William Adams, her father, had been serving on the Indian Ocean base for six months.
“I was always too scared to sing in front of family, let alone an audience,” Bethany admitted.
Lance Corporal Dean Davey, her father, had previously served in the 9th/12th Royal Lancers and the Royal Logistics Corps’ 151 (London) Transport Regiment.
Charlotte is only 17 years old, but she and her family have already moved eight times.
It’s because her father, Wing Commander Paul Mellor, was often assigned to numerous RAF missions. She ultimately found a more stable life at a Cambridge boarding school.
Alice has always been a performer-“All of this feels that I began singing before I could speak,” she added.
She also played the piano and ukelele. Captain Philip Milburn served in the Royal Navy, while her mother spent eight years in the Royal Air Force.
Florence has been singing since the age of four.
Lieutenant Ben Ransom, her father, is also a Royal Navy officer, and she followed in the footsteps of her mother, who was performing the Military Wives chorus.
Regina Spektor, an American singer-songwriter, created “The Call (No Need To Say Goodbye)” for The Poppy Girls’ debut single.
During the Royal British Legion’s Festival of Remembrance, they performed the song for the first time. The Queen was one of the Special guests that attended the premiere of The Poppy Girls.
The Royal British Legion’s chief of fundraising, Charles Byrne, told The Telegraph, “This is a hauntingly beautiful music sung by a group of girls who know what it means to have family members exposed to danger on a regular basis.”
The song was written and produced by Decca Records as a “thank you” to all the men and women who have given their lives and families for their country.
They hoped to raise £80 million for the Royal British Legion with the song.
The Royal British Legion was formed in 1921 as a British charity. They provide financial, social, and emotional support to men and women who served in the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force, as well as their families.
They mark the end of World War One every year on Remembrance Sunday, the second Sunday in November.
On this day, marching bands, parades, church services, wreath and poppy laying, and the Festival of Remembrance take place in the evening. On this day, at 11 a.m., everyone grinds to a halt and stands in silence to honor fallen military heroes.
The Legion was impressed by The Poppy Girls’ performance at the Festival of Remembrance and wanted to thank them.
See which Poppy Girl had the honor of being reunited with her father ahead of schedule in the video below.