An Evening at Brookwood 2024

Take part in guided tours of the Cemetery led by CWGC staff and Volunteers. Explore our stalls showcasing the work of our horticulture staff, and more!

Kick the evening off with a specially curated performance from the Pirbright Village Primary School!

Veteran, Winner of 2019's Britain's Got Talent and the World's Oldest Solo Artist, Colin Thackery is joining us to give us an evening of stories and songs.

Join us for a special segment focussing on Lighting Their Legacy: a unique journey carrying the Torch of Commemoration from the UK to Normandy in the build up to D-Day's 80th Anniversary.

Take a break to stretch your legs, explore the site and grab a Crepe or an Ice Cream from one of the food vans before settling in for the rest of the evening.

Enjoy a performance from the UK's premier wartime act, The D-Day Darlings. We will be joined by a trio from the group who are 'Britain's Got Talent's best selling female group.

We will end the day with a performance from the renowned Gordon's School Pipes and Drums.

We close this year's event with a stirring bugle rendition of the Last Post

An Evening at Brookwood 2024 will end at 20:00. Thank you for coming and we can't wait to invite you back for 2025's event!

The UK’s premier wartime group, The D-Day Darlings, were signed to Sony Music UK after reaching the finals in ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent. In 2018, their debut album, “I’ll Remember You”, reached number 15 in the official album charts, receiving a Silver Disc for over 60,000 sales.

As the best-selling female group to emerge from Britain's Got Talent, the Darlings received a BRIT Certified Breakthrough Award in 2019 and have since performed alongside a host of celebrities such as Michael Ball and Pixie Lott, appearing on prime-time shows for Radio 2, Heart FM, ITV and BBC, with a special performance for members of The Royal Family.

With their patriotic energy and passion for celebrating veterans through their work in the UK and overseas as proud ambassadors of the Royal British Legion, along with the support of their biggest inspiration Dame Vera Lynn, the Darlings have earned a strong global appeal.

Following on from their smash hit show celebrating the King’s Coronation, the Nation’s favourite wartime inspired group, The D-Day Darlings, proudly present their brand-new show marking the 80th Anniversary of D-Day!

We will be joined by a trio of the D-Day Darling's at Brookwood this year.

Expect an emotive and reflective, yet highly entertaining and joyous performance. Featuring best loved songs from the era including stunning new arrangements, dazzling costumes and slick choreography in a stunning new show marking a hugely significant moment in our countries rich history, the 80th anniversary of D-Day!

Colin Thackery is a veteran of the Korean War and is a Chelsea Pensioner having served for 25 years in the Royal Artillery. He joined as a Boy Soldier at the age of 15 and served in the conflict in Malaya and in the Korean War. 

Colin, now aged 94, is still singing following his success in winning Britain’s Got Talent in 2019.The first six months after winning were a whirlwind and Colin had nearly 150 events including numerous television appearances, interviews and awards ceremonies. Covid interrupted major events planned for the next two years but he still appeared on television via Skype and continued his charity fundraising by performing in virtual concerts which carried on into 2021.

More recently he has starred on the BGT Jubilee tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II, performed in Grantham and at Lincoln Cathedral for ABF, and he sang at Edinburgh Poppy Day and with the Royal Regiment of Scotland at the Scottish Festival of Remembrance in Dundee. Last year, he sang at two major events in South Korea during the 70th anniversary celebrations for the armistice of the Korean War, where he performed in front of the President and delighted the audience by singing in both English and Korean. 

He was made an Honorary Minister for Veterans Affairs and has been asked to return, both to sing and speak to schoolchildren who still regard the UN soldiers as their heroes. He also sang Arirang, a well-known song in Korean, during the Festival of Remembrance last November in front of King Charles and Queen Camilla. Colin is delighted to support the Commonwealth War Graves Commission at Brookwood Military Cemetery.

Gordon’s School is the National Memorial to British war hero, philanthropist and martyr, Major-General Charles George Gordon (1833-1885), and was founded in 1885 where it began existence as ‘Gordon Boys’ Home’ for necessitous boys. Queen Victoria, as the first of an unbroken line of sovereign patrons, took the lead in demanding a fitting National Memorial be created in Gordon’s honour; an interest that has been maintained to this day.   

From inception, when the School was a Home to boys in several locations in the south of England, the Gordon’s Boys’ Home in Dover had a Pipe Band whom were tutored by the Pipe Major of the Seaforth Highlanders. The regiment at the time were posted to Dover Castle. Sadly, in 1941, the Home in Dover was bombed, and it was at this time that the Pipe Band were relocated to the Home in West End, now known as Gordon’s School. In 1941, the Band consisted of six boys and has grown over the last 80 years to a Band of 50 strong, establishing a lasting, embedded tradition within the School. 

Gordon’s School Pipes and Drums has been fortunate enough to perform in front of Her Majesty The Queen at Westminster Abbey in 2014 for An Observance of the Commonwealth, as well as performing in the Lord Mayor’s Show and Windsor Castle, to name but a few. Every year, the Pipes and Drums lead the annual Parade through Whitehall which is always a highlight of the Band’s calendar. The Band recently celebrated their 80th anniversary and several highlights were: returning to Menin Gate to take part in the Last Post Association Service; playing with bagrock band ‘The Red Hot Chilli Pipers’; and taking part in the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow Green for the first time in its history. Since, the Band have performed at Wembley Stadium for the National League Playoff Finals and at the Houses of Parliament. 

This year, we are fortunate to develop the piping programme at the school, introducing a piping scholarship for students, which is supported by The National Piping Centre.

Pirbright Village Primary School is a vibrant, lively primary school located near Woking, close to Brookwood Military Cemetery.

Many of the school’s children are children of servicemen and women. Each year, students from Pirbright visit Brookwood around Remembrance time to develop a greater understanding of the sacrifice made by Commonwealth personnel throughout the World Wars.

At An Evening at Brookwood 2024, several Year 5 and 6 pupils will be delighting crowds with a selection of Second World War-era songs and classics. 

Join us to be serenaded by a younger generation of history enthusiasts to highlight our nation’s shared history and collective commemoration of our war dead.

Brookwood is 30 miles from London (M3 to Bagshot and then A322). The main entrance to Brookwood Military Cemetery is on the A324 from the village of Pirbright. There is a direct train service from Waterloo to Brookwood Station from which there is an entrance to the cemetery. The postcode for Brookwood is GU24 0JB.

The closest train station is ‘Brookwood Railway Station’ on Connaught Road, Woking GU24 0ER. Just a short walk from Brookwood Military Cemetery. 

There is very limited parking available for those with accessibility needs only. Please contact supporters@cwgc.org for more information (subject to availability)

All entrances to Brookwood Military Cemetery are accessible. 

You will receive a digital ticket via Eventbrite. 

We are unable to refund you if you are not able to attend the event. Where the event cannot go ahead, we will make every effort to reschedule the event and provide you with details of the new event.  

If you do not wish to attend the event on the rescheduled date, you will be entitled to claim a refund from us. In any event, our total liability if the event is cancelled or rescheduled, is the face value of the ticket. 

Please note that only the original purchaser of the ticket is entitled to a refund.

We offer a discount to military personnel. Please contact us at supporters@cwgc.org for more information.

For any special requests please contact supporters@cwgc.org and we will be able to advise further.

There is no dress code for this event, but we encourage all guests to dress appropriately for the weather (please note this is an outdoor event). 

Information on the agenda and schedule can be found on our Eventbrite page. 

The mission of the CWGF is to engage and inform the public on the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and to keep the memories and stories of the Commonwealth’s dead of the World Wars alive to preserve them for future generations. 

For more information please click here.

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