Singing with the soldiers

WITH their husbands and boyfriends away serving in Afghanistan, Catterick army wife Nicky Clarke hit on an idea to keep their spirits up and cope with the separation.

She formed The Army Wives Choir. And tomorrow they join the double platinum-selling singing trio The Soldiers to perform on ITV’s daytime show This Morning.

Choir co-ordinator Nicky set up the choir as a way of helping wives and girlfriends cope with their other halves being away. “It was really knowing that the whole brigade were being deployed and thinking of things we could do while they were away and how we can all look after each other,” she explains.

“Although we have friends and family, I think the best support comes from each other when the boys are away because we’re all in the same boat.”

The Army Wives choir was set up seven months ago. Nicky used to run a choir in Wiltshire and knew the benefits of such a singing group.

“It brings people together from lots of different backgrounds and you don’t have to be a brilliant singer,” she says.

She advertised the choir through posters, the radio and welfare officers at the garrison in order to recruit members.

“We had a good turnout, probably 30 girls at least,” she says. “We have people regularly attending whose husbands or boyfriends are from all ranks and different regiments.”

“To me it felt really important that it didn’t matter what regiment anyone’s husband was in as we’re all in this together.”

The women, whose ages range from mid-twenties to their forties, have jobs ranging from psychologists, teachers, nurses and stay-athome mums The choir gave its first concert in July for friends and family. Everyone was very nervous, she says, but it was a great success. Her husband was able to take a DVD of the concert back to Afghanistan with him to show the other soldiers what was happening at home.

The choir rehearses once a week and on Sunday joined two other choirs for its biggest performance yet at St Mary’s Church, in Richmond.

In the main they’ve only performed within the garrison, although the choir did sing at a memorial service for the Scots Guards.

Then the call came from The Soldiers, one of whom – Sergeant Major Gary Chilton – was based at Catterick.

The trio has raised nearly £300,000 from sales of their debut album and UK tour for three army charities – ABF The Soldiers Charity, Royal British Legion and Help For Heroes.

The Soldiers, whose other two members are Lance Corporal Ryan Idzi and Staff Sergeant Richie Maddocks, released their second album, Letters Home, yesterday.

The album features cover versions of classic love songs, as well as three original songs. The Army Wives will join them in a performance of one of them, I Will Carry You, on This Morning.

One of the memorial services was for the Scots Guards, but most of the things have been within the garrison.

“They heard about the choir and thought it was a lovely idea,” explains Nicky.

“Gary came along and thought it was such an obvious fit between what they’re doing and what we’re doing.”

As for the future of The Army Wives, she says they’re taking it as it comes. “The lovely thing is that this isn’t something that will end when the tour ends. We’ll keep going and keep doing what it was originally intended to do – bringing people together,” she says.

“Membership is obviously fluid.

Over the summer a couple of people who joined the choir at the start moved away, but we’ve had never people joining at the same time. One of the challenges is keeping membership going, although it’s not been a problem so far.”

Their husbands have responded positively to the choir.

“They’re really excited because it’s very hard for us when they’re away,”

says Nicky.

“Inevitably we have moments when we are down and things are difficult, and the idea of us all getting together and doing this really helps.

It just makes their life easier because they know we’re all right.”