The 100 year journey

Client: Westminster City Council

Agency: TMW Unlimited - Westminster City Council - The Military Wives Choirs

Of the 1 million British and Commonwealth servicemen and women killed in World War One, some 165,000 would never receive a proper burial. Many were left in unmarked graves on the battlefields where they fell. Some were simply never found. And countless families were left with no real focus for their grief.


In 1920, one warrior - of unknown name, rank, or regiment - was brought home to be buried in Westminster Abbey. A symbol of all who had given their lives, his arrival allowed the nation to come together and grieve.


Westminster City Council asked us to help commemorate the centenary of the burial by bringing this largely forgotten and hugely poignant story to the fore once again.


Through our research, we discovered that Abide With Me - the hymn that sung the Unknown Warrior to his final resting place - survived experimental recording at the service to become the first electrical recording ever sold to the public.


So, aiming to retell his story in a way that would resonate with a wide audience - and that would gain added reach - we reimagined and re-recorded that very same song with the Military Wives Choirs, releasing an audio track, music video and documentary.