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| London's Royal Albert Hall |
Opened in 1871, the Royal Albert Hall is now possibly the world’s most famous stage. During the Great War, it was the scene of regular concerts dedicated to the war effort and those serving overseas. Original music was sometimes created for these events. In November 1917 four of England’s greatest living composers–Sir Edward Elgar, Sir Hubert Parry, Sir Frederick Bridge, and Charles Villiers Stanford–set poetry to music during a Royal Choral Society concert. The most famous of these was, The Spirit of England written by English poet Laurence Binyon in September 1914 just after Britain had suffered its first heavy losses on the Western Front. It is still used in the annual Remembrance Day services today. These wartime concerts culminated with a victory and welcome home to the troops program in 1919.
However, the tragedy of the war was not quickly forgotten. On 8 July 1923, a Great Concert in aid of the Somme Battlefields Memorial was held at the Royal Albert Hall. This concert was organized to raise funds for the Inter-Allied War Memorial outside Amiens, France. This event apparently rekindled memories of the war that were so strong there seems to have been an impulse to annualize a commemoration, and Armistice Day was only four months in the future.
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| The 1923 Program |
A Festival of Remembrance, held in honor of those who have given their lives in the service of their country, has been marked at the Royal Albert Hall annually since 1923. The very first Festival of Remembrance was called "In Memory 1914–1918–A Cenotaph In Sound," in aid of the British Legion, Field Marshal Earl Haig’s Appeal for Ex-Service Men of all Ranks, and was held on 11 November 1923. A royal delegation including HRH The Prince of Wales, who had served in the war, was in attendance to hear John Foulds’s new composition, A World Requiem: A Cenotaph in Sound, performed by a chorus and orchestra.
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| What It Looked Like Back Then |
In 1927 the concert was simply renamed the Remembrance Festival and featured popular wartime songs including "Pack up Your Troubles," "Take Me Back to Dear Old Blighty," and "Tipperary." The event ended with a service that has now become familiar, featuring "The Last Post" and ending in "God Save the King." The annual event quickly expanded to feature performances from all three military services that included complex marching drills, weapons maneuvers, music, and combat skills demonstrations.
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| The 2015 Event |
It was not until 1971 that the British Legion were permitted to use the title "royal," following a Royal Charter bestowed to the organisation on 29 May 1971. The festival was promptly renamed Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance. Although the festival was originally only intended to honour those who died in the First World War, it now includes tributes to the war dead from more recent conflicts. The ceremonies include a release of poppy petals from the roof and a two minute silence to commemorate and honour all those who have lost their lives in conflicts.
The Festival has been broadcast on BBC radio since 1927 and has become a popular televised event on BBC One each year.
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