On 1st July, Emma visited France to sing for the 104th commemorations of the Battle of the Somme, organised by the Royal British Legion and the Somme Association.

The Battle of the Somme was the worst day in British military history. On the first day, 1st July, 1916, over 57,470 casualties were recorded.

The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing lists the names of over 72,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers and officers who were reported as missing.

Emma sang during the Royal British Legion’s ceremony at the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing in the presence of the British Ambassador to France and attachés and representatives from New Zealand, South Africa, Northern Ireland, Australia, and other nations.

The next ceremony was at the Ulster Tower, Northern Ireland’s national war memorial. The tower was built to commemorate the 36th (Ulster) division, who suffered extreme casualties.

The final ceremony of the day was at Guillemont at the memorial for the 16th (Irish) Division.

On 10th May, 2020, the Netherlands marks eighty years since the country was drawn into the Second World War.

Early in the morning on 10th May, 1940, Hitler’s troops invaded the Netherlands. One of their goals was to capture The Hague, the seat of government. After an airborne attack, they managed to capture the three airports around the Hague: Ypenburg, Ockenburg, and Valkenburg. However, the Dutch launched a counter attack in Ypenburg and managed to recapture the airport, in spite of being heavily outnumbered and lacking in equipment.

In the Battle of Ypenburg, near the Hague, around one hundred Dutch soldiers were killed as they recaptured airport at Ypenburg from invading troops. Around one hundred Dutch soldiers died in the attempt, and the airport buildings were destroyed. This victory gave enough time for Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Bernhard, and senior members of the Dutch government, to escape to England.

The Battle of Ypenburg is commemorated every year on 10th May. Emma has been invited to sing at the ceremony, which will be broadcast on the Dutch television channel SBS6 on “Hart van Nederland.”

The ceremony is held at the Ypenburg Monument, which has the inscription “Attacked but not defeated.”

Sunday, 10th May, 14:00, live on SBS6 from the Ypenburg Monument in The Hague, the Netherlands.