Welcome Home! HMS Middleton 31.08.2012
At the invitation of the Royal Navy members of the Society, along with friends from St. Aidan's, Sudden, church choir and the Rochdale Retirement Choir, provided a quayside choral welcome home to the Captain and crew of our affiliated Hunt Class ship as they docked in Portsmouth harbour in the warm, bright sunlight of the morning of August 31st.
Soloist Keith Lloyd led rousing choruses of Rule Brittania! as the ship came alongside, and Anne Butterworth exercised a calming influence with the solo part in O Peaceful England as the crew members and their families were reunited after a nine month separation. Other items included Land of Hope and Glory, Jerusalem and I vow to thee, my country. At the special request of the Captain, Steve Higham (whose wife had given birth to their daughter some nine weeks ago) the choir sang Wherever you are (the Military Wives hit song from last year). Accompaniment at the keyboard was provided by Judith Mitchell. Joining in, too, were the young members of the Middleton Fanfare ensemble, who played an arrangement of the folk tune Portsmouth made specially for the occasion by the Musical Director of the Society, Graham Marshall.
After the musical performance there was time to go on board the ship and explore before returning home with memories of a very happy occasion. For our contribution to the homecoming we were presented by the Captain with a decorated HMS Middleton lifebuoy, which will no doubt be a scenic feature of future concerts