On Saturday 07 December 2019, Chris Hoban performed his new album ‘1918 – The Untold Stories of the Great War’ at Woodlands School in Basildon. He was joined by two local school choirs – one from Vange Primary School with their head teacher, Liz Keeble, who played piano and also Greensted Junior School.
In addition, Rayleigh Brass accompanied Chris who was joined on stage for a beautiful song, ‘The Lily and the Rose’ which was sung by Beauchamps student, Emma Gladwin. Logan Curtis, dressed as a World War One Tommy, started the performance and sat on the Empty Chair at the front of the stage.
Councillor Thomas Rickal from Heiligenhaus, Germany, brought the ‘Empty Chair’ and presented it to Basildon MP, Stephen Metcalfe, patron of the Forget Never Project, on behalf of his town. The chair will eventually be sited in Wat Tyler Country Park next to the Green Centre. It is one of four chairs which have been carved by Head Forester in Heiligenhaus, Hannes Johannsen. Two others can be found at Lochnagar Crater, the Somme, France, also at the WWI Museum in Meaux, France.
Basildon Borough Twinning Association 