The Military Wives choir outsold X Factor girl group Little Mix by five to one, beating them to the coveted Christmas number one spot.

Their single, Wherever You Are, sold 556,000 copies in the last week, more than the rest of the top 12 combined, the Official Charts Company said.

Proceeds are being donated to the Royal British Legion and the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA), and the Government has said it will waive VAT on sales of the single.

Wherever You Are became the fastest-selling single since Alexandra Burke’s Hallelujah sold 576,000 in its first week in December 2008, and also scored the 7th biggest first week for any single since electronic records began in 1994.

Official Charts Company managing director Martin Talbot said this year’s race for number one was “one of the greatest of all time”.

“To have achieved more than 500,000 sales in a week without the backing of a vast promotional operation over many weeks, like X Factor, is truly remarkable,” he said.

“It is hard to think of a more deserving winner in 60 years of Christmas Number Ones.”

The Military Wives track becomes the 60th official Christmas number one of all time and winner of the first Official Singles Chart Number One Award – an award for the artist behind each new number one launched in the run-up to next year’s 60th anniversary of the singles chart.

Gareth Malone formed the group for BBC2 programme The Choir, which climaxed with a performance at the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall.

He said: “This is so surreal. Who would have guessed in those first rehearsals that we could take Christmas Number 1?

“It’s testament to the Military Wives’ hard work and the nation’s support of them, as well as the power of choral singing. The support of the British military for the choir has been fantastic. I’m delighted that they have found their voice. We did it!”

Bookmaker William Hill is already offering odds on the choirmaster to deliver 2012’s Christmas number one.

He has been installed as the 6/1 second favourite, with the X Factor winner 1/2 favourite.

While some of the wives celebrated at home with their families today, around 15 gathered at the officers’ mess at RMB Chivenor with their loved ones.

Emma Hanlon-Penny, 31, took the call confirming they had won the race.

“Taking that call was amazing, pressing that button was really scary but to hear the news that we’re number one and almost platinum sales, so that’s just fantastic, really good,” she said.

The wives broke into a verse of their song, before cracking open the champagne and proud husbands congratulated their wives as they took pictures of the group surrounded by family.

Laura Thomson, 32, whose husband Sergeant Craig Thomson, of 22 Squadron, features in the video, said: “It’s just part of history now, when our daughter is going to be 30 she will be walking in the supermarket at Christmas time, hearing our song playing, it’s just amazing.”

Major General Andrew Cumming, chief executive of SSAFA Forces Help, said they were thrilled the choir was at number one.

“Wherever You Are is a truly inspirational song and the choir has done an amazing job,” he said.

“Their support will make a very real difference, enabling us to provide even more practical help and assistance to military families, young and old alike.

“The Military Wives Choir typifies all that is good about the Armed Forces community. The bravery, dedication and resilience that they have displayed when their loved ones are serving overseas have been a shining example to us all.”

The Official Charts Company dubbed this year’s Christmas chart the “people power chart”, with a string of hits by acts without a traditional record label.

Lou Monte’s Dominick The Donkey, which has been championed by BBC Radio 1’s Chris Moyles Breakfast Show, got to number three, 51 years after it was released in 1960; while YouTube musician Alex Day also made it into the top five with self-released single Forever Yours. A Facebook campaign got Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit up to Number 11.

Mr Talbot added: “All these campaign records demonstrate comprehensively, at the start of its 60th year, that it is not hype, marketing or promotion which decides what records will hit the Official Singles Chart – but the choices of the great British public.”

Michael Buble topped the album chart, becoming the fourth album of 2011 to pass the one million sales threshold to also become the biggest seller of December.

His closest rival was the posthumous release of Amy Winehouse’s final recordings Lioness, alongside albums by Olly Murs and Coldplay.

Members of the choir were overjoyed at their success today.

Emma Williams, 33, was celebrating with husband Staff Sergeant Gavin Williams, 34, a fuel engineer with the Royal Logistic Regiment, Royal Marines.

He returned from Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, the week before the choir sang at the Royal Albert Hall in October.

The couple, who live at Royal Marines Base (RMB) Chivenor in North Devon, were celebrating with children Lucy, four, and Ben, seven, as well as Gavin’s parents Joan and Rob Williams.

Mrs Williams said: “It’s absolutely fantastic. I can’t believe that I can actually sit here on Christmas day and say I’ve got a single out that is number 1, and what a brilliant Christmas for our two charities, the British Legion and SSAFA. It feels unreal.

“It just feels like it is happening to someone else and you see yourselves on the television or the children are watching you sing the song on television and they’re like ’Mummy, Mummy, it’s you, it’s you’. It’s just unbelievable.

“I think if you really look at the words, it can go across to so many people, not just military people but others that have lost a loved one through other circumstances as well and the words, people can just relate to it.

“We have spent several Christmases apart but the worst one for us was when our son was born and Gavin missed our baby’s first Christmas and that was really quite sad, but we have been really fortunate, there are families that repeatedly miss Christmas and we are aware of that.

“It isn’t very nice to be apart from loved ones and there are thousands across the country that can’t be together this Christmas for whatever reason and for them we pray for you and wish you a merry Christmas, if not this year then definitely next year.

Staff Sgt Williams added: “It’s genuinely mind-blowing, absolutely amazing, like Emma said. We thought it was going to be quite a small thing, obviously it aired on the BBC. However, the way it has snowballed since the Royal Albert Hall has been absolutely phenomenal, so yeah, it’s been brilliant, absolutely brilliant.”

RAF flight sergeant Andy Leonard, of 22 Squadron, had already put the champagne on ice to celebrate wife Kelly’s success.

He even features on the video with the couple’s sons Ethan, four, and two-year-old Joseph.

Mrs Leonard said: “It’s really surreal and I don’t think it has really sunk in yet so yes, it’s pretty amazing, actually. Just the thought of being able to tell my grandkids I had a Christmas number one, it’s a bit scary really.

Of her husband’s video role, she said: “He’s quite proud of that and at the end with the kids he scoops them up and that’s there for posterity now, which is lovely.”

Speaking about military families that could not be together today, she added: “It’s hard enough on a normal day when you’re trying to get through it, but when it is a really special day, it does really take a lot of effort on the wives’ part.”

“We got together as a choir just to create a community and be there for each other and it’s gone from strength to strength. It’s just crazy.

“As for a follow-up I really don’t know, there are talks of albums but I don’t know how the logistics of that would work and whether Gareth would be involved or not. It is his baby at the end of the day.”