A fully immersive, thought provoking and at times spine chilling production showed how we must never forget the sacrifices of our military heroes.

The Port of Dover joined with the Marlowe Theatre to stage a show that marked the Armistice centenary commemorations.

Return Of The Unknown saw drama, music, dance and digital art combine to create a stunning theatrical experience from Thursday to Sunday inclusive.

Involving a mix of professional and amateur talent the cast totalled more then 640 performers, aged from eight to 80, some from local schools in choirs singing ‘Altogether now’.

During the performance, there was a reading from Marlowe patron Sir Michael Morpurgo, who said: “How should we remember? We can’t. They are all gone. All we can remember is what they have done, and the peace they gave us, a peace we must hold dear. All we can do is sing the anthem; tell the story.”

Return Of The Unknown was written by the theatre’s literary associate James Baldwin, and directed by artistic producer Andy Dawson. Their partnership with The Port was the more poignant because the very stage it was set upon at Marine Station was where the body of the Unknown Soldier hit English soil for the first time enroute to Westminster for its national funeral.

From the start, it drew audiences in to the harsh and gruelling realities of conflict from the very start of the Great War. In no time, we were moved forward to 2118 where International Remembrance had lost its relevance.

Commemorated in a showbiz styled telethon, it highlighted in cringe-worthy fashion how historical facts became distorted by simply forgetting. Then in stark monologues performed simultaneously on clinical white podiums they showed how memories can’t be sanitised. They are all we have to keep the essence of our loved ones alive.

A street party themed interval brought audiences closer to the present day, with a sing-song provided by The Victory Wartime Band, whose music and charm brings about the wonder of unearthing a time capsule - with every song they perform.

And the second half brought all we had learned together: the unglamorous horrors of war, the lasting effects on relationships, and the sanity-eroding agony of never knowing what became of Britain’s sons while they lay in unmarked graves in foreign fields.

It all came together to teach us: Lest we forget.