A SPECIAL evening of memories, history and music is being staged at Brookwood Military Cemetery on Thursday (July 6) by the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation.
The family event will include live performances from the renowned folk trio Harp and a Monkey, legendary comedian and folk singer Richard Digance, talented flautist Daniel Swani, and the youngsters of Surrey Wing Royal Air Force Air Cadets Band.
Award-winning singers and storytellers trio Harp and a Monkey specialise in poignant and melodic short stories and their work has been described as “bold and brilliant” by the likes of The Observer, “fantastic” and “fascinating” by Mark Radcliffe on Radio 2, “inventive” by Mojo, “excellent” by The Guardian, and “unique” by folk legend Mike Harding.
Born in West Ham, Richard Digance is a BAFTA-nominated entertainer and a recipient of The Gold Award from The British Academy of Composers and Songwriters. He is also one of the few folksingers listed in The Virgin Anthology of Songwriters.
Richard has made nearly 200 appearances on Channel 4’s Countdown, released 43 albums and published 22 books, including The Animal Alphabet, serialised by the BBC.
Daniel Swani enjoys a varied career in music, owing to his versatility as an orchestral flute, recorder and historical flute player.
Recent highlights have included performing in the Royal Opera House’s production of Lohengrin, recording the music for the West End show Upstart Crow starring David Mitchell, performing with Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz for BBC’s Later with Jools Holland and working as a recorder soloist with the BBC Concert Orchestra.
The aim of the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation is to engage and educate people with the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) and the men and women it commemorates.
The CWGC is a world leader in commemoration and care for the burial places of 1.7 million casualties across 23,000 locations in 150 countries around the world.
Foundation director Michele Jennings said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be hosting this event in the beautiful surroundings of Brookwood Military Cemetery.
“There are some great acts and entertainment to look forward to in what looks to be a lovely evening in the sunshine. Every ticket bought helps our vital work to raise awareness of the fallen that we care for – all around the world.”
Brookwood Military Cemetery is the largest Commonwealth war cemetery in the United Kingdom, covering approximately 37 acres, where there are 5,627 identified casualties from the two world wars.
Surrey Wing is one of 36 Wings across the country that make up the Royal Air Force Air Cadets.
The evening will also feature guided tours of the cemetery and demonstrations by CWGC operational staff. Visitors will be able to explore a collection of stalls and view military vehicles and displays.
Hot and cold drinks will be available, as will pizza and ice cream from food stalls.
Tickets for the evening can be booked at https://foundation.cwgc.org