fbpx
Wikipedia

Vera Lynn

December 08, 2023

"Dame Vera Lynn" redirects here. For the ship, see Dame Vera Lynn (ship).

Dame Vera Margaret Lynn CH DBE OStJ (née Welch; 20 March 1917 – 18 June 2020) was an English singer and entertainer whose musical recordings and performances were very popular during World War II. She is honorifically known as the "Forces' Sweetheart", having given outdoor concerts for the troops in Egypt, India and Burma during the war as part of the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA). The songs most associated with her include "We'll Meet Again", "(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover", "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" and "There'll Always Be an England".

Dame

Vera Lynn

CH DBE OStJ
Portrait by Allan Warren, c. 1973
Born
Vera Margaret Welch

(1917-03-20)20 March 1917
East Ham, Essex, England
Died18 June 2020(2020-06-18) (aged 103)
Ditchling, East Sussex, England
Years active1924–2020
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1941; died 1998)​
Children1
Musical career
Genres
Labels
Military career
Service/branchEntertainments National Service Association
Years of service1939–1945
Battles/warsBattle of Kohima

She remained popular after the war, appearing on radio and television in the United Kingdom and the United States, and recording such hits as "Auf Wiederseh'n, Sweetheart" and her UK number-one single "My Son, My Son". Her last single, "I Love This Land", was released to mark the end of the Falklands War. In 2009, at the age of 92, she became the oldest living artist to top the UK Albums Chart with the compilation album We'll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn.[1] In 2014, she released the collection Vera Lynn: National Treasure and in 2017, she released Vera Lynn 100, a compilation album of hits to commemorate her centenary—it was a No. 3 hit, making her the first centenarian performer to have a Top 10 album in the charts.[2] By the time of her death in 2020 she had been active in the music industry for 96 years.

Lynn devoted much time and energy to charity work connected with ex-servicemen, disabled children and breast cancer. She was held in great affection by Second World War veterans and in 2000 was named the Briton who best exemplified the spirit of the 20th century.[3]

Early life edit

Vera Margaret Welch was born in East Ham, Essex, now part of the London Borough of Newham, on 20 March 1917.[4] She was the daughter of plumber[5][6] Bertram Samuel Welch (1883–1955) and wife dressmaker Anne "Annie" Martin (1889–1975), who had married in 1913.[7] In 1919, when Lynn was two years old, she fell ill with diphtheritic croup and nearly died. She was sent to an isolation unit and was discharged after three months there.[8] As a result of her hospitalisation, her mother was very protective of her and did not allow her to visit friends or play in the street for a long time afterwards. Lynn recalled that her mother was not as strict with her elder brother Roger as she was with her.[9]

Career edit

She began performing publicly at the age of seven and adopted her maternal grandmother Margaret's maiden name "Lynn" as her stage name when she was eleven.[10] Aged 11, she joined a juvenile troupe called Madame Harris's Kracker Kabaret Kids and early in 1933 she was spotted by Howard Baker who invited her to join his band. In turn, she was taken on by Billy Cotton and briefly toured with his band in 1934 before returning to Howard Baker.[11]

It was with Baker that she made her first record, on 17 February 1935, with a song called "It's Home".[12] Her first radio broadcast, with the Joe Loss Orchestra, was made on 21 August 1935.[13] At this point she appeared on records released by dance bands including those of Loss and of Charlie Kunz.[14] In 1936, her first solo record was released on the Crown label, "Up the Wooden Hill to Bedfordshire".[15] This label was absorbed by Decca Records in 1938.[16] She supported herself by working as an administrative assistant to the head of a shipping management company in London's East End.[17] After a short stint with Loss she stayed with Kunz for a year or so during which she recorded several standard musical pieces. She joined the Ambrose band in 1937,[18] and remained with him until 1940, when she went solo.

Wartime career edit

 
Lynn sings at a munitions factory in wartime Britain, early 1941.

Lynn's wartime contribution began when she would sing to people who were using London's tube station platforms as air raid shelters. She would drive there in her Austin 10 car.[19] Between 1937 and 1940, she also toured with the aristocrat of British dance bands, Bert Ambrose[20] as part of the Ambrose Octet; the group appeared in broadcasts for the BBC and for Radio Luxembourg. She left Ambrose in 1940.[21]

During the Phoney War, the Daily Express asked British servicemen to name their favourite musical performers: Vera Lynn came out on top and as a result became known as "the Forces' Sweetheart". On 1 July 1940, Lynn made her first appearance as a "fully fledged solo act" at the New Hippodrome in Coventry.[22]

Vera Lynn appeared in the revue Applesauce! with Max Miller, which commenced on 22 August 1940 at the Holborn Empire and ran until 9 September 1940. Its run was curtailed due to a bomb destroying the theatre. The revue continued at the London Palladium from 5 March 1941 and ended on 29 November that year.[23] Lynn had to leave the show for a while in July 1941 to have her appendix removed.[24]

Lynn is best known for the popular song "We'll Meet Again", written by Ross Parker and Hughie Charles.[25] She first recorded it in 1939 with Arthur Young on Novachord, and later again in 1953 accompanied by servicemen from the British Armed Forces.[26] The nostalgic lyrics ("We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when, but I know we'll meet again some sunny day") were very popular during the war and made the song one of its emblematic hits.[27] Amongst her other well-known wartime hits was "The White Cliffs of Dover", with words by Nat Burton, music by Walter Kent.[28]

Her continuing popularity was ensured by the success of her weekly 30-minute radio programme Sincerely Yours, which began airing at 9:30 p.m. on 9 November 1941, with messages to British troops serving abroad.[21][14] Described as "to the men of the forces – a letter in words and Music", she was accompanied by Fred Hartley and his music.[29] Lynn and her quartet performed songs most requested by the soldiers. Lynn also visited hospitals to interview new mothers and send personal messages to their husbands overseas.[30] However, in the aftermath of the fall of Singapore in February 1942 the programme was taken off air after the broadcast on 22 March 1942[31] for 18 months out of fear that the sentimental nature of her songs would undermine the "virile" nature of British soldiers. Instead, "more traditionally martial classical music" was promoted.[32] Lynn returned with a regular show called "It's Time for Vera Lynn" on the BBC's Forces programme on 31 October 1943, when she was accompanied by Peter Yorke and His Orchestra. The show was broadcast at 8 p.m. on Sunday nights and ran for twenty minutes.[33]

During the war years, she joined the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA) and toured Egypt, India and Burma,[34] giving outdoor concerts for British troops. In March 1944, she went to Shamshernagar airfield in Bengal to entertain the troops before the Battle of Kohima. Her host and lifelong friend Captain Bernard Holden recalled "her courage and her contribution to morale".[35] In 1985, she received the Burma Star for entertaining British guerrilla units in Japanese-occupied Burma.[36]

Between 1942 and 1944, she appeared in three movies with wartime themes.[21] Firstly, she starred in a film called We'll Meet Again, in 1943 which was based on her own life story, that of a dancer who becomes a radio star. She went on to make two more films during the war, Rhythm Serenade (1943)[37] and One Exciting Night (1944). In Rhythm Serenade she played a school teacher. After her school is closed, she tries to join up. However, she is persuaded to organise a nursery for a munitions factory. One Exciting Night (also known as You Can't Do Without Love) was a dramatic musical comedy in which she helps thwart a gang of art thieves.

Postwar career edit

Lynn's daughter and her only child, Virginia Penelope Ann Lewis, was born on 10 March 1946. After the war, Lynn had wanted to concentrate on being a mother and wife. However, her unfulfilled contract with Decca Records and financial pressures meant that she was lured back into showbusiness in 1947. She started a new radio show called Vera Lynn Sings on the BBC's Light Programme on 16 February 1947.[38] This was broadcast on Sunday evenings from 9:30-10:00 p.m. with Robert Farnon leading the musical accompaniment. Her husband became her manager. Her record label, Decca, astutely promoted her records in the U.S. during the musicians' strike of 1948 and she had a U.S. Top Ten hit with "You Can't Be True, Dear". In 1949, the BBC dropped her radio show because it claimed that there was no demand for her "sob stuff"; they wanted her to sing in a more lively style, so she made shows for Radio Luxembourg instead.[39]

Lynn kept touring and recording, and in 1952 Lynn's British recording of a German song, "Auf Wiederseh'n, Sweetheart", became her best selling record. It became the first record by a British performer to top the charts in the United States,[40] remaining there for nine weeks. In Britain, the song was the best-selling record of the year.[41] She also appeared regularly for a time on Tallulah Bankhead's US radio programme The Big Show.[42] "Auf Wiederseh'n, Sweetheart", along with "The Homing Waltz" and "Forget-Me-Not", gave Lynn three entries on the first UK Singles Chart in November 1952.[43]

Vera Lynn was in the London Laughs revue at the Adelphi Theatre, London from 12 April 1952 to 6 February 1954 with Tony Hancock and Jimmy Edwards.[44] Her popularity continued in that decade, peaking with "My Son, My Son", a number-one hit in 1954[45] written by Gordon Melville Rees, Bob Howard and Eddie Calvert. It also reached No. 28 on Billboard magazine's singles charts in the USA.[46]

In 1956, Lynn began her first television series for Associated-Rediffusion. During the same year, she signed an exclusive contract with the BBC for two years of radio and television work.[21]

In 1960, she left Decca Records (after nearly 25 years) and joined EMI.[47] She recorded for EMI's Columbia, MGM and HMV labels. She also recorded Lionel Bart's song "The Day After Tomorrow" for the 1962 musical Blitz!; she did not appear onstage in the play, but the characters in the play hear the song on the radio while they shelter from the bombs.[48] In 1967, she recorded "It Hurts To Say Goodbye",[49] a song which hit the top 10 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart.[50]

 
Vera Lynn in 1973

She hosted her own variety series on BBC1 in the late 1960s and early 1970s[51] and was a frequent guest on other variety shows such as the 1972 Morecambe & Wise Christmas Show. In 1972, she was a key performer in the BBC anniversary programme Fifty Years of Music. In 1976, she hosted the BBC's A Jubilee of Music, celebrating the pop music hits of the period 1952–1976 to commemorate the start of Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee year. For ITV, she presented a 1977 TV special to launch her album Vera Lynn in Nashville, which included pop songs of the 1960s and country songs.[52]

The Royal Variety Performance included appearances by Vera Lynn on seven occasions: 1951,[53] 1952,[54] 1957,[55] 1960, 1975, 1986 and 1990.[56][57] Lynn was also interviewed about her role in entertaining the troops in the India-Burma Theatre, for The World at War series in 1974. Lynn is also notable for being the only artist to have a chart span on the British single and album charts reaching from the chart's inception to the 21st century – in 1952 having three singles in the first ever singles chart, compiled by New Musical Express,[58] and later having a No. 1 album with We'll Meet Again – The Very Best of Vera Lynn.[59]

Recording career edit

Vera Lynn made her solo recording debut with the song "The General's Fast Asleep" on 3 October 1935, accompanied by the Rhythm Rascals (a pseudonym for Jay Wilbur's orchestra). The 9" 78 rpm single was issued on the Crown Records label,[60] which went on to release a total of 8 singles recorded by Vera Lynn and Charles Smart on organ. Early recordings include "I'm in the Mood for Love"[61] and "Red Sails in the Sunset".[62]

In 1938, the Decca label took over control of the British Crown label and the UK-based Rex label; they had also issued early singles from Lynn in 1937, including "Harbour Lights". In late September 1939, Vera Lynn first recorded a song that continues to be associated with her: "We'll Meet Again" was originally recorded with Arthur Young on the Novachord.[25]

Throughout the 1940s and 1950s the Decca label issued all of Lynn's records, including several recorded with Mantovani and His Orchestra in 1942, and with Robert Farnon from the late 1940s. These were only available as 78 rpm singles, which contained only two songs as an A and a B-side. In the mid-1950s, Decca issued several EP singles, which comprised between two and four recordings per side, such as Vera Lynn's Party Sing Song from 1954. Lynn was the first British artist to have a number one in U.S. charts, achieved with "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart", which stayed at the top for nine weeks in 1952. Singles were now issued on two formats: the known 78 rpm 10" shellac discs, and the recently introduced 45 rpm 7" vinyl single. In the late 1950s, Lynn recorded four albums at Decca, the first; Vera Lynn Concert remains her only live recording ever issued on vinyl.[63][64][65][66][67]

In 1960, after more than 20 years at Decca Records, Lynn signed to the US based MGM Records. In the UK, her recordings were distributed by the His Master's Voice label, later EMI Records. Several albums and stand-alone singles were recorded with Geoff Love and His Orchestra. Norman Newell also took over as Lynn's producer in this period and remained with her until her 1976 album Christmas with Vera Lynn. Recording at EMI Records up until 1977, Lynn released thirteen albums with material as diverse as traditional hymns, pop and country songs, as well as re-recording many of her known songs from the 1940s for the albums Hits of the Blitz (1962), More Hits of the Blitz and Vera Lynn Remembers – The World at War (1974). In the 1980s, two albums of contemporary pop songs were recorded at the Pye Records label, both including covers of songs previously recorded by artists such as ABBA and Barry Manilow.[68][67][69][70][71]

In 1982, Lynn released the stand-alone single "I Love This Land", written by André Previn, to mark the end of the Falklands War. Lynn's last recordings before her retirement were issued in 1991 via the News of the World newspaper, with proceeds in aid of the Gulf Trust.[72]

Later years edit

Lynn sang outside Buckingham Palace in 1995 in a ceremony that marked the golden jubilee of VE Day.[73]

The United Kingdom's VE Day ceremonies in 2005 included a concert in Trafalgar Square, London, in which Lynn made a surprise appearance. She made a speech praising the veterans and calling upon the younger generation always to remember their sacrifice, and joined in with a few bars of "We'll Meet Again". This would be Lynn's final vocal performance at a VE Day anniversary event.[21]

Following that year's Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance Lynn encouraged the Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins to assume the mantle of "Forces' Sweetheart".[73][74][75] In her speech Lynn said: "These boys gave their lives and some came home badly injured, and for some families life would never be the same. We should always remember, we should never forget, and we should teach the children to remember".[76]

 
Lynn in 2009

In September 2008, Lynn helped launch a new social history recording website, "The Times of My Life", at the Cabinet War Rooms in London.[77] Lynn published her autobiography, Some Sunny Day, in 2009. She had written two previous memoirs: Vocal Refrain (1975) and We'll Meet Again (1989).[78]

In February 2009, it was reported that Lynn was suing the British National Party (BNP) for using "The White Cliffs of Dover" on an anti-immigration album without her permission. Her lawyer claimed the album seemed to link Lynn, who did not align with any political party, to the party's views by association.[79]

In September 2009, at the age of 92, Lynn became the oldest living artist to make it to No. 1 in the British album chart.[80] Her compilation album We'll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn entered the chart at number 20 on 30 August, and then climbed to No. 2 the following week before reaching the top position, outselling both the Arctic Monkeys and the Beatles.[81][82] With this achievement, she surpassed Bob Dylan as the oldest artist to have a number one album in the UK.[82]

In August 2014, Lynn was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to September's referendum on that issue.[83] In May 2015, she was unable to attend VE Day 70: A Party to Remember, in London but was interviewed at home by the Daily Mirror.[84]

Three days before her 100th birthday on 17 March 2017, a new LP entitled Vera Lynn 100 was released through Decca Records.[85] The album, setting Lynn's original vocals to new re-orchestrated versions of her songs, also involves several duet partners including Alfie Boe, Alexander Armstrong, Aled Jones and the RAF Squadronaires.[86] Parlophone, which owns Lynn's later recordings from the 1960s and 1970s, released a collection of her songs recorded at Abbey Road Studios entitled Her Greatest from Abbey Road on 10 March 2017, including five previously unreleased original recordings.[87] By October 2017, she was the best-selling female artist of the year in the UK, having sold more albums than contemporary artists like Dua Lipa and Lana Del Rey.[88]

Lynn received two nominations at the 2018 Classic Brit Awards for Female Artist of the Year and Album of the Year and was also the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.[89]

 
Dame Vera Lynn's daughter Virginia Lewis-Jones and Ross Kolby in front of his portrait of Lynn at the unveiling ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall on 13 January 2020.

In January 2020, a new painted portrait of Lynn was given as a gift from London Mint Office to the Royal Albert Hall in connection with the 75th anniversary of the peace in 1945.[90] The portrait is painted by Ross Kolby and was unveiled by Lynn's daughter Virginia Lewis-Jones and Britain's Got Talent winner Colin Thackery.[91][92]

On 5 April 2020 the song "We'll Meet Again" was echoed by Queen Elizabeth II in a television address she delivered addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.[93] For the 75th anniversary of VE Day, Lynn and Katherine Jenkins duetted virtually (Jenkins singing next to a hologram) at the Royal Albert Hall, which was empty due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[94]

In June 2021, a wildflower meadow on the White Cliffs of Dover was named in honour of Lynn.[95]

Honours and cultural references edit

 
Locomotive No. 3672 Dame Vera Lynn at North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

In 1976, Lynn received an honorary Doctorate of Laws from the Memorial University of Newfoundland.[96] She received the Freedom of the City of London in 1978.[97] In 2000, she received a "Spirit of the 20th Century" Award in a nationwide poll in which she won 21% of the vote.[98] A street named in her honour, Vera Lynn Close, is situated in Forest Gate, London.[99] She was awarded the honorary degree of Master of Music (M.Mus.) in 1992 by the University of London.[100]

She was the subject of This Is Your Life on two occasions, in October 1957 when she was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at the BBC Television Theatre,[citation needed] and again in December 1978, for an episode which was broadcast on 1 January 1979, when Andrews surprised her at the Café Royal, London.[citation needed]

In 2018, Lynn received the Outstanding Contribution to Music award at the Classic Brit Awards.[101] In January 2019, it was reported that The London Mint Office had commissioned acclaimed Norwegian artist Ross Kolby to paint a portrait of Dame Vera. The painting was unveiled on 13 January 2020 and hangs in the Royal Albert Hall in London where Dame Vera performed on 52 occasions.[102]

Lynn's visit to the Burma front during the Second World War was included in the British television documentary series The World at War in 1974 and narrated by Laurence Olivier. A short interview made for the documentary is included in Episode 14, "It's A Lovely Day Tomorrow: Burma 1942–1944".[103]

On their 1979 album The Wall, Pink Floyd released a song titled "Vera", referencing Vera Lynn and the song "We'll Meet Again" with the lyrics "Does anybody here remember Vera Lynn? / Remember how she said that / We would meet again / Some sunny day?".[104] "We'll Meet Again" was also used as an intro to the live performances of The Wall in 1980 and 1981 (as can be heard on Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live 1980–81). The 1982 film Pink Floyd – The Wall opens with "The Little Boy that Santa Claus Forgot" performed by Lynn.[105]

On Gary Numan's 1982 album I, Assassin, the song "War Songs" has the chorus: "Old men love war songs / Love Vera Lynn / Old men love war songs / Now I'm Vera Lynn".

The ending of Stanley Kubrick's black comedy film about the triggering of World War III (and the nuclear annihilation of civilisation), Dr. Strangelove, shows several minutes of nuclear explosions, with a musical accompaniment of the 1953 version of We'll Meet Again with Vera Lynn and an armed services chorus.

A preserved example of the WD Austerity 2-10-0 class of steam locomotives at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway is named Dame Vera Lynn.[106] One of two new boats for the Woolwich Ferry service, which were delivered via Tilbury in autumn 2018, was named Dame Vera Lynn in her honour.[107][108]

On his 2018 album Would You Still Be in Love, Anthony Green released a song titled "Vera Lynn" that referenced her songs "We'll Meet Again" and "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square".[109]

British honours edit

Foreign honours edit

Charity work edit

 
Vera Lynn, Hawkwind, and others at Crystal Palace Bowl, 24 August 1985

In 1953, Lynn formed the cerebral palsy charity SOS (The Stars Organisation for Spastics) and became its chairperson.[116][117] The Vera Lynn Charity Breast Cancer Research Trust was founded in 1976, with Lynn its chairperson and later its president.[118]

In August 1985, she appeared on stage at Crystal Palace Bowl, with Hawkwind, Doctor and the Medics and several other rock bands, for the finale of a benefit concert for Pete Townshend's Double-O anti-heroin charity.[119]

In 2002, Lynn became president of the cerebral palsy charity The Dame Vera Lynn Trust for Children with Cerebral Palsy, and hosted a celebrity concert on its behalf at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London.[120] In 2008, Lynn became patron of the charitable Forces Literary Organisation Worldwide for ALL.[121]

She became the patron of the Dover War Memorial Project in 2010;[122] the same year she became patron of the British charity Projects to Support Refugees from Burma/Help 4 Forgotten Allies.[123] In 2013 she joined a PETA campaign against pigeon racing, stating that the sport is "utterly cruel".[124]

Personal life edit

During the Second World War, Lynn lived with her parents in a house she had bought in 1938 at 24 Upney Lane, Barking. [125] In 1941, Lynn married Harry Lewis, a clarinetist, saxophonist and fellow member of Ambrose's orchestra[126] whom she had met two years earlier. They rented another house in Upney Lane, near her parents' house.[125] Lewis became Lynn's manager prior to 1950, after leaving his own career behind.[21]

After the Second World War, Lynn and Lewis moved to Finchley, north London. The couple lived in Ditchling, East Sussex, from the early 1960s onwards, living next door to their daughter.[127]

The couple had one child in March 1946, Virginia Penelope Anne Lewis (now Lewis-Jones). Harry Lewis died in 1998.[128]

Death and legacy edit

 
Funeral procession

Lynn died on 18 June 2020 at her home in East Sussex, at the age of 103.[129][130] Tributes to Lynn were led by the Royal Family, with Queen Elizabeth II sending private condolences to Lynn's family and Clarence House issuing tributes from the then Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall. The then Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and Leader of the Opposition, Sir Keir Starmer, also led with tributes in Parliament, while musicians like Sir Paul McCartney and Katherine Jenkins and public figures like Captain Tom Moore discussed her profound impact.[131] The Band of the Coldstream Guards convened the same day to play her song "We'll Meet Again".[132]

Lynn was given a military funeral, which was held on 10 July 2020 in East Sussex. The procession made its way from her home in Ditchling to the Woodvale Crematorium in Brighton;[133] it was widely attended by the public. Ditchling was decorated with poppies, a symbol of military remembrance. Ahead of the funeral, the White Cliffs of Dover had images of Lynn projected onto them, as "We'll Meet Again" was being played across the English Channel. Her cortege was accompanied by members of the Royal Air Force, the British Army, the Royal Navy, and the Royal British Legion, as well as the Battle of Britain Spitfire flypast, which followed the cortege and passed over Ditchling three times (10 July 2020 was the 80th anniversary of the start of the Battle of Britain). Her coffin was draped in a Union Flag with a wreath. At the family service at the Woodvale Crematorium chapel, she was serenaded by a Royal Marine bugler. Her family have said a public memorial service will be organised for some time in the future.[133][134] On 21 March 2022, a thanksgiving service for Lynn was held at Westminster Abbey.[135]

Following Lynn's death, Jenkins began campaigning to erect a statue of her by the White Cliffs of Dover, a reference to one of her signature songs "(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover".[136] Jenkins and Lynn's death established the Dame Vera Lynn Memorial Trust and selected sculptor Paul Day to design the memorial. In July 2022, the Dover District Council announced that Lynn's family had decided to place the memorial elsewhere, as they found Dover "'insufficent' to honour [Lynn's] legacy".[137] The memorial subsequently evolved into The Forces' Sweetheart And Wartime Entertainers' Memorial, honouring Lynn and "all those unsung heroes who entertain in times of conflict".[138] The memorial is planned for the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

Discography edit

Studio albums edit

Title Details Peak chart positions Certifications
UK
Sincerely Yours[71]
  • Released: 1949
  • Label: Decca
 —
Vera Lynn Concert[71]
  • Released: 1955
  • Label: Decca
 —
If I Am Dreaming[139]
  • Released: 1956
  • Label: Decca
 —
The Wonderful World of Nursery Rhymes[140]
  • Released: 1958
  • Label: Decca
 —
Vera Lynn Sings...Songs of the Tuneful Twenties[71]
  • Released: 1959
  • Label: Decca
 —
Sing With Vera[71]
(With the Williams Singers and Geoff Love & His Orchestra) 		—
Yours[71]
(With the Williams Singers and Geoff Love & His Orchestra)
  • Released: 1960
  • Label: MGM Records
 —
As Time Goes By[71]
(With the Williams Singers and Geoff Love & His Orchestra)
  • Released: 1961
  • Label: MGM Records
 —
Hits of the Blitz[141]
(With Tony Osborne & His Orchestra) 		—
The Wonderful Vera Lynn[71]
(With Tony Osborne & His Orchestra)
  • Released: 1963
  • Label: His Master's Voice
 —
Among My Souvenirs[71]
(With Tony Osborne & His Orchestra)
  • Released: 1964
  • Label: His Master's Voice
 —
More Hits of the Blitz[141]
(With the Sam Fonteyn Orchestra)
  • Released: 1966
  • Label: His Master's Voice
 —
Hits of the 60's – My Way[71]
(With Alyn Ainsworth and Orchestra) 		—
Unforgettable Songs by Vera Lynn[71]
(With Alyn Ainsworth and Orchestra)
  • Released: 1972
  • Label: Columbia
 —
Favourite Sacred Songs[71]
(With the Mike Sammes Singers)
  • Released: 1972
  • Label: Columbia
 —
Vera Lynn Remembers – The World at War[142]
(With Alyn Ainsworth and Orchestra)
  • Released: 1974
  • Label: EMI
 —
Christmas with Vera Lynn[71]
(With Alyn Ainsworth and Orchestra)
  • Released: 1976
  • Label: EMI
 —
Vera Lynn in Nashville[71]
  • Released: 1977
  • Label: EMI
 —
Thank You For the Music (I Sing The Songs)[71]
  • Released: 1979
  • Label: Pye
 —
Singing To the World[143]
  • Released: 1981
  • Label: Pye
 —
20 Family Favourites[2]
  • Released: 21 November 1981
  • Label:
 25
Vera Lynn Remembers[145]
  • Released: 1984
  • Label: Nelson
 —
We'll Meet Again[2]
  • Released: 9 September 1989
  • Label:
 44
Unforgettable[2]
  • Released: 30 May 2010
  • Label:
 61

Compilation albums edit

Title Details Peak chart positions Certifications
UK IRE EU DUT NOR NZ DEN BEL AUS
Hits of the War Years
  • Released: August 1985
  • Label: Hammard
  • Format: LP, Cassette
 — — — — — — — — 32[146]
We'll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn[147][148]
  • Released: 25 August 2009
  • Label: Decca Records
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 1 48 8 83 18 8 28 10 21
National Treasure – Ultimate Collection[149]
  • Released: 8 June 2014
  • Label:
 13 — — — — — — — —
Her Greatest from Abbey Road[2] 45 — — — — — — — —
Vera Lynn 100[2] 3 — — — — — — — —

Charted singles edit

Year Title Peak chart positions
UK US US
A/C 		US
Cashbox
1948 "You Can't Be True, Dear"[150] — 9 — —
1949 "Again"[150] — 23 — —
1952 "Auf Wiederseh'n, Sweetheart"[2] 10 1 — 1
"Forget-Me-Not"[2] 5 — — —
"The Homing Waltz"[2] 9 — — —
"Yours (Quiéreme Mucho)"[150] — 7 — 10
1953 "The Windsor Waltz"[2] 11 — — —
1954 "We'll Meet Again"[2] 55 29 — —
"If You Love Me (Really Love Me)"[151] — 21 — 5
"My Son, My Son"[2] 1 28 — 22
1956 "Who Are We"[2] 30 — — —
"Such a Day"[152][153] — 96 — 45
"A House with Love in It"[2] 17 — — —
1957 "The Faithful Hussar (Don't Cry My Love)"[2] 29 55 — 40
"Travellin' Home"[2] 20 — — —
1967 "It Hurts to Say Goodbye"[154][155] — — 7 —
2014 "We'll Meet Again" (duet with Katherine Jenkins)[156][2] 72 — — —
2020 "Land of Hope and Glory"[2] 17 — — —

Filmography edit

Film[157] Year Role Notes Ref
We'll Meet Again 1942 Peggy Brown [158]
Rhythm Serenade 1943 Ann Martin [159]
One Exciting Night 1944 Vera Baker also known as You Can't Do Without Love [160]
Venus fra Vestø 1962 [161]
A Gift for Love 1963 music performance [162]

Publications edit

  • Lynn, Vera (1975). Vocal Refrain. London: W. H. Allen
  • Lynn, Vera and Cross, Robin (1989). We'll Meet Again. London: Sidgwick & Jackson
  • Lynn, Vera (2009). Some Sunny Day. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-00-731815-5

References edit

  1. ^ "Dame Vera Lynn, the new queen of the album charts at 92". Official UK Charts. 8 June 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Vera Lynn: full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Obituary: Dame Vera Lynn, a symbol of resilience and hope". BBC. 18 June 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  4. ^ Seidenberg, Steven; Sellar, Maurice; Jones, Lou (1995). You Must Remember This. Great Britain: Boxtree Ltd. p. 132. ISBN 0-7522-1065-3.
  5. ^ "Dame Vera Lynn: 'It is so important to keep going, keep smiling and keep hoping'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 13 May 2020
  6. ^ "{Dame Vera Lynn, the Forces' Sweetheart, turns 100". BBC. Retrieved 13 May 2020
  7. ^ "Welch Bertram S. & Martin Annie" in Register of Marriages for West Ham Registration District, vol. 4a (March quarter, 1913), p. 43
  8. ^ Eames, Tom (18 June 2020). "Vera Lynn facts: Iconic singer's age, songs, daughter, husband and more revealed". Smooth Radio. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  9. ^ Wintle, Angela (22 December 2017). "Vera Lynn: 'Mum was determined to put me on stage. I didn't complain'". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  10. ^ Lynn, Vera (2009). Some Sunny Day. London, UK: HarperCollins. p. 43. ISBN 978-0-00-731815-5.
  11. ^ "West Ham and South Essex Mail". 14 December 1934. p. 4.
  12. ^ "The Era". 27 February 1935.
  13. ^ "West Ham and South Essex Mail". 13 September 1935. p. 1.
  14. ^ a b Seidenberg, Sellar, Jones, p. 132
  15. ^ Some Sunny Day, p. 74
  16. ^ Some Sunny Day, p. 73
  17. ^ "Vera Lynn, singer and 'forces sweetheart', dies aged 103", The Guardian, 18 June 2020
  18. ^ "The Era". 28 April 1938. p. 12.
  19. ^ Lynn, Vera (2009). Some Sunny Day. London: HarperCollins. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-00-731815-5.
  20. ^ Some Sunny Day, p. 83
  21. ^ a b c d e f "Dame Vera Lynn obituary". The Guardian. London, UK. 18 June 2010. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  22. ^ Guthrie, Kate (2017). "Vera Lynn on Screen: Popular Music and the 'People's War'" (PDF). Twentieth-Century Music. 14 (2): 245–270. doi:10.1017/S1478572217000226. ISSN 1478-5722. S2CID 192905715.
  23. ^ "maxmiller.org". maxmiller.org. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  24. ^ "Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News". 8 August 1941. p. 108.
  25. ^ a b Baade, Christina L. (2012). Victory Through Harmony: The BBC and Popular Music in World War II. Oxford University Press. p. 8. ISBN 9780195372014.
  26. ^ "Vera Lynn – We'll Meet Again / I'm Praying To St. Christopher". Discogs. 1953.
  27. ^ "Obituary: Dame Vera Lynn, a symbol of resilience and hope". BBC News. 18 June 2020.
  28. ^ Seidenberg, Sellar, Jones p. 24
  29. ^ "Londonderry Sentinel". 8 November 1941. p. 3.
  30. ^ Some Sunny Day, pp. 139–140
  31. ^ "The Londonderry Sentinel". 21 March 1942. p. 6.
  32. ^ Todman, Daniel (2020). Britain's War. Vol. 2. London. pp. 116–7. ISBN 978-0-241-24999-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  33. ^ "Manchester Evening News". 30 October 1943. p. 4.
  34. ^ Pertwee, Bill (1992). Stars in Battledress. London, UK: Hodder and Stoughton. p. 19. ISBN 0-340-54662-X.
  35. ^ "Technology Obituaries: Bernard Holden". The Daily Telegraph. London, UK. 4 October 2012. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  36. ^ "Dame Vera Lynn to receive Burma Star". The Times. No. 62091. 20 March 1985. p. 2, col. A.
  37. ^ Mundy, John (2007). The British Musical Film. Manchester University Press. p. 98. ISBN 9780719063213.
  38. ^ "Sunday Mirror". 19 January 1947. p. 6.
  39. ^ Lynn, Vera (2009). Some Sunny Day. London: HarperCollins. pp. 215–234. ISBN 978-0-00-731815-5.
  40. ^ "Vera Lynn". Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  41. ^ "The biggest selling single of every year revealed! (1952-1985)". Official Charts. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  42. ^ Some Sunny Day, p. 233
  43. ^ Sexton, Paul (18 June 2020). "Dame Vera Lynn, Britain's Beloved "Forces' Sweetheart," Dies At 103". uDiscoverMusic. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  44. ^ "guidetomusicaltheatre.com". guidetomusicaltheatre.com. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  45. ^ "Official Charts – Vera Lynn, Top 75 releases". Retrieved 10 January 2011.
  46. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 286. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
  47. ^ Some Sunny Day, p. 262
  48. ^ Wood, Alex (18 June 2020). "Dame Vera Lynn dies aged 103". WhatsOnStage.com. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  49. ^ "Recording: It Hurts to Say Goodbye". SecondHandSongs. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
  50. ^ "It Hurts to Say Goodbye (song by Vera Lynn) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". MusicVF.com. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  51. ^ "The singer who comes back at the top while popular music fashions change". The Times, Thursday, 20 January 1972; pg. 16; Issue 58380; col A
  52. ^ "Lynn [Welch], Dame Vera". Gove Music on Line. OUP. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
  53. ^ "Royal Variety Charity". royalvarietycharity.org/. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  54. ^ "Royal Variety Charity". royalvarietycharity.org/. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  55. ^ "Royal Variety Charity". royalvarietycharity.org/. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  56. ^ Some Sunny Day, p. 289
  57. ^ operathephantom (26 May 2011). "Dame Vera Lynn performs at 1990 Royal Variety Performance". Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2019 – via YouTube.
  58. ^ Bush, John; Eder, Bruce. "Biography (Vera Lynn)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
  59. ^ "We'll Meet Again – The Very Best Of". Acharts.us. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
  60. ^ "British Crown Records – IAJRC Journal". Faqs.org. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  61. ^ Vera Lynn, Vera Lynn_I'm in the Mood for Love, retrieved 20 March 2020
  62. ^ "Red Sails in the Sunset". 1935. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2020 – via YouTube.
  63. ^ "Decca records general catalogue 1949 (London GB)". Decca. 28 October 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2020 – via Issuu.
  64. ^ "Vera Lynn with Woolf Phillips & His Orchestra* And The Clubmen – Vera Lynn Concert". Discogs. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  65. ^ "EP Discography for Decca Records – Australia". Global Dog Productions. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  66. ^ "Vera Lynn 78 RPM – Discography – UK – 78 RPM". 45 Worlds. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  67. ^ a b "Vera Lynn on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  68. ^ Southall, Brian (2011). Abbey Road: The Story of the World's Most Famous Recording Studios. Vince, Peter; Rouse, Allan. London: Omnibus. ISBN 978-0-85712-676-4. OCLC 830001182.
  69. ^ "Obituary: Dame Vera Lynn, a symbol of resilience and hope". BBC News. 18 June 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  70. ^ "Barry Manilow Covered Songs and Artists". Setlist. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  71. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "LP Discography: Vera Lynn – Discography". LP Discography. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  72. ^ "Dame Vera Lynn With The 2nd Battalion, Grenadier Guards – Specially Recorded By Dame Vera Lynn For The News Of The World". 45cat.com. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  73. ^ a b Some Sunny Day, p. 295
  74. ^ "Jenkins performs for Iraq troops". BBC News. 23 December 2005. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  75. ^ "Jenkins sings for Dame Vera at 90". BBC News. 20 March 2007. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  76. ^ "Thousands mark VE Day across UK". BBC News. 8 May 2005. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  77. ^ "Blessed are The Times of My Life". Response Source. 17 September 2008. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
  78. ^ Thorpe, Vanessa (15 February 2009). "At 92, forces' sweetheart Vera Lynn tells her life story". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
  79. ^ . The Daily Telegraph. London. 18 February 2009. Archived from the original on 3 June 2010. Retrieved 27 May 2010.
  80. ^ Singh, Anita (2 September 2009). . The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 6 September 2009. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  81. ^ "Dame Vera Lynn re-enters charts". BBC News. 31 August 2009. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
  82. ^ a b Leach, Ben (13 September 2009). "Dame Vera Lynn becomes oldest living artist to have number one album". The Daily Telegraph. London, UK. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2010.
  83. ^ "Celebrities' open letter to Scotland – full text and list of signatories". The Guardian. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  84. ^ Bletchly, Rachael (8 May 2015). "VE Day: Dame Vera Lynn on why we must always remember the heroes of the Second World War". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  85. ^ "Dame Vera Lynn breaks own record with new album at 100". BBC News. 2 February 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  86. ^ "Vera Lynn 100 by Vera Lynn". Amazon UK. 1 February 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  87. ^ "Vera Lynn – Her Greatest From Abbey Road – Resident". Resident-music.com. 1 February 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  88. ^ "Dame Vera Lynn is currently the UK's top-selling female artist of 2017". NME Music. 5 October 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  89. ^ "The nominations for the Classic BRIT Awards have been revealed". Classic FM. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  90. ^ Horton, Tom (13 January 2020). "Dame Vera Lynn portrait goes on display at the Royal Albert Hall". The Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  91. ^ "Dame Vera Lynn portrait to hang on display at Royal Albert Hall". Sussex Express. 14 January 2019.
  92. ^ "Dame Vera Lynn – The Voice of a Nation on Vimeo". 8 January 2020 – via Vimeo.
  93. ^ "The Queen's coronavirus address: 'We will meet again'". BBC News. 5 April 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  94. ^ "Katherine Jenkins to perform VE Day concert at empty Royal Albert Hall". The Guardian. 4 May 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  95. ^ "Wildflower meadow on White Cliffs of Dover named in honour of Dame Vera Lynn". ITV News. 17 June 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  96. ^ (PDF). Memorial University of Newfoundland. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 February 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  97. ^ "Lynn, Vera (1917—)". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  98. ^ "At 92, forces' sweetheart Vera Lynn tells her life story". The Guardian. 15 February 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  99. ^ Walawalkar, Aaron (20 March 2017). "New street signs to honour Dame Vera Lynn on her 100th birthday". Newham Recorder. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  100. ^ "Dame Vera Lynn dies aged 103". University of London. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  101. ^ "Dame Vera Lynn to receive Lifetime Achievement Award". Classic Brits. 26 March 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  102. ^ "Dame Vera Lynn portrait to hang on display at Royal Albert Hall". Midsussextimes.co.uk.
  103. ^ "World at War, the, Pt. 14: It's a Lovely Day Tomorrow (TV)". The Paley Center for Media. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  104. ^ "Vera Lyrics – The Wall Lyrics – Pink Floyd Lyrics". Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  105. ^ Merey, Andy (22 December 2015). "The Little Boy that Santa Claus Forgot". DurhamRegion.com. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  106. ^ "Locomotives at the NYMR". Nymr.co.uk. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  107. ^ Broadbent, Giles (30 June 2017). "Names for new Woolwich ferries revealed". The Wharf. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  108. ^ "Dame Vera Lynn – IMO 9822023". ShipSpotting.com. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  109. ^ "New Video for 'Vera Lynn'". Anthony Green. 13 June 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  110. ^ "No. 44740". The London Gazette. 20 December 1968. pp. 10–12.
  111. ^ "No. 46593". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 June 1975. p. 7376.
  112. ^ "No. 54652". The London Gazette. 16 January 1997. p. 596.
  113. ^ "No. 61608". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 June 2016. p. B27.
  114. ^ "Queen's Birthday Honours". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  115. ^ "Branch History". RAF Association Amsterdam Branch. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  116. ^ . Starsorg.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 July 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2010.
  117. ^ Lynn, Vera (1976). Vocal Refrain. Wyndham Publications Ltd. ISBN 0-352-39884-1.
  118. ^ "Breast Cancer Research Trust". Retrieved 23 October 2009.
  119. ^ Cooper, Leonie (18 June 2020). "Yes: Dame Vera Lynn played an anti-heroin gig with Hawkwind and Lemmy". NME. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  120. ^ "Dame Vera Lynn Trust for Children with Cerebral Palsy". Dvltrust.org.uk. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
  121. ^ "FLOW for ALL – Welcome". Flowforall.org. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  122. ^ "The Dover War Memorial Project – Remembering the casualties of World War from Dover, Kent, England – the Front-Line town of Hellfire Corner". Doverwar,e,orialproject.org.uk. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  123. ^ "Help for Forgotten Allies". Psrb.org.uk. 30 March 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  124. ^ Low, Valentine (28 March 2013). "Queen urged to end support for 'cruel' pigeon racing". The Times. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  125. ^ a b King, Jon (20 March 2017). "Former Barking resident Dame Vera Lynn is 100-years-old today". Barking and Dagenham Post. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  126. ^ Farndale, Nigel (17 August 2009). . The Daily Telegraph. London, UK. Archived from the original on 26 November 2010. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
  127. ^ "Birthday chorus for Forces Sweetheart Dame Vera (From The Argus)". Theargus.co.uk. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
  128. ^ "Harry Lewis". The Herald. 2 June 1998. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  129. ^ "Forces' Sweetheart Dame Vera Lynn dies aged 103". BBC News. 18 June 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  130. ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (18 June 2020). "Vera Lynn, singer and 'forces' sweetheart', dies aged 103". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  131. ^ "Royalty and McCartney lead Dame Vera tributes". BBC News. 18 June 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  132. ^ Coldstream Guards Perform Dame Vera Lynn's 'We'll Meet Again' In Full. Forces TV. 18 June 2020. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2020 – via YouTube.
  133. ^ a b "Dame Vera Lynn: Spitfire flypast marks funeral". BBC News. BBC. 10 July 2020. from the original on 10 July 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  134. ^ "Funeral held for 'Forces' Sweetheart' Dame Vera Lynn". BBC News. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  135. ^ "Dame Vera Lynn's life celebrated at Westminster Abbey service". BBC News. 21 March 2022.
  136. ^ "Katherine Jenkins campaigns for statue of Vera Lynn". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 4 July 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  137. ^ "Dame Vera Lynn: Memorial statue will not be in Dover". BBC. Published 26 July 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  138. ^ "Forces' Sweetheart And Wartime Entertainers' Memorial To Feature At National Memorial Arboretum". Dame Vera Lynn Memorial Statue. Published 26 April 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  139. ^ "Reviews and Ratings of New Popular Albums". Billboard. 24 November 1956. p. 26. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  140. ^ "The Wonderful World of Nursery Rhymes – Vera Lynn, Kenneth McKellar". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  141. ^ a b Braid, Mary (24 April 1994). "Dame Vera: we'll meet again and again and again and .". The Independent. Archived from the original on 11 August 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  142. ^ "Vera Lynn Remembers the World at War". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  143. ^ "Vera Lynn – Singing To The World". Discogs. 1981. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  144. ^ a b c "British album certifications – Vera Lynn – Certifications". British Phonographic Industry.Select albums in the Format field. Type Certifications in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  145. ^ "Vera Lynn – Remembers". Discogs. 1984. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  146. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  147. ^ "Vera Lynn – We'll Meet Again – The Very Best Of – Music Charts". Acharts.us. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
  148. ^ . Acharts.us. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
  149. ^ Furness, Hannah (8 June 2014). "Dame Vera Lynn breaks chart record aged 97 with album of wartime hits". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  150. ^ a b c Whitburn, Joel (1973). Top Pop Records 1940–1955. Record Research.
  151. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-1-84609-856-7. OCLC 85691957.
  152. ^ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 25 February 1956.
  153. ^ "Such a Day (song by Vera Lynn) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". Music VF. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  154. ^ Vera Lynn – Billboard Singles, AllMusic. Accessed on line 5 May 2009.
  155. ^ "Original versions of It Hurts to Say Goodbye by Vera Lynn". SecondHandSongs.com. 6 January 1967. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  156. ^ "We'll Meet Again - single". Apple Music. 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  157. ^ British Film Institute. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  158. ^ British Film Institute. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  159. ^ British Film Institute. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  160. ^ British Film Institute. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  161. ^ British Film Institute. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  162. ^ British Film Institute. Retrieved 18 June 2020.

External links edit

 
Wikiquote has quotations related to Vera Lynn.
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vera Lynn.
  • Hackel, Erin (2013). "Dame Vera Lynn: Voice of a Generation" (PDF). Kapralova Society Journal. 11 (2): 1–6.
  • Vera Lynn at IMDb
  • Vera Lynn at AllMusic
  • Dame Vera Lynn Trust for Children with Cerebral Palsy
  • Vera Lynn discography at Discogs.com
  • 2002 Woman's Hour interview
  • 2010 interview with Nathan Morley on CyBC
  • Imperial War Museum Interview
  • March 2017 online interview with Lord Ashcroft
  • Vera Lynn's 78rpm recordings at the Internet Archive
  • Portraits of Vera Lynn at the National Portrait Gallery, London

December 08, 2023
vera, lynn, dame, redirects, here, ship, dame, ship, dame, vera, margaret, lynn, ostj, née, welch, march, 1917, june, 2020, english, singer, entertainer, whose, musical, recordings, performances, were, very, popular, during, world, honorifically, known, forces. Dame Vera Lynn redirects here For the ship see Dame Vera Lynn ship Dame Vera Margaret Lynn CH DBE OStJ nee Welch 20 March 1917 18 June 2020 was an English singer and entertainer whose musical recordings and performances were very popular during World War II She is honorifically known as the Forces Sweetheart having given outdoor concerts for the troops in Egypt India and Burma during the war as part of the Entertainments National Service Association ENSA The songs most associated with her include We ll Meet Again There ll Be Bluebirds Over The White Cliffs of Dover A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square and There ll Always Be an England DameVera LynnCH DBE OStJPortrait by Allan Warren c 1973BornVera Margaret Welch 1917 03 20 20 March 1917East Ham Essex EnglandDied18 June 2020 2020 06 18 aged 103 Ditchling East Sussex EnglandYears active1924 2020SpouseHarry Lewis m 1941 died 1998 wbr Children1Musical careerGenresPopular traditional popLabelsDecca London for export MGM HMV Columbia EMI EMI PyeMilitary careerService wbr branchEntertainments National Service AssociationYears of service1939 1945Battles warsBattle of KohimaShe remained popular after the war appearing on radio and television in the United Kingdom and the United States and recording such hits as Auf Wiederseh n Sweetheart and her UK number one single My Son My Son Her last single I Love This Land was released to mark the end of the Falklands War In 2009 at the age of 92 she became the oldest living artist to top the UK Albums Chart with the compilation album We ll Meet Again The Very Best of Vera Lynn 1 In 2014 she released the collection Vera Lynn National Treasure and in 2017 she released Vera Lynn 100 a compilation album of hits to commemorate her centenary it was a No 3 hit making her the first centenarian performer to have a Top 10 album in the charts 2 By the time of her death in 2020 she had been active in the music industry for 96 years Lynn devoted much time and energy to charity work connected with ex servicemen disabled children and breast cancer She was held in great affection by Second World War veterans and in 2000 was named the Briton who best exemplified the spirit of the 20th century 3 Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2 1 Wartime career 2 2 Postwar career 2 3 Recording career 2 4 Later years 3 Honours and cultural references 3 1 British honours 3 2 Foreign honours 4 Charity work 5 Personal life 6 Death and legacy 7 Discography 7 1 Studio albums 7 2 Compilation albums 7 3 Charted singles 8 Filmography 9 Publications 10 References 11 External linksEarly life editVera Margaret Welch was born in East Ham Essex now part of the London Borough of Newham on 20 March 1917 4 She was the daughter of plumber 5 6 Bertram Samuel Welch 1883 1955 and wife dressmaker Anne Annie Martin 1889 1975 who had married in 1913 7 In 1919 when Lynn was two years old she fell ill with diphtheritic croup and nearly died She was sent to an isolation unit and was discharged after three months there 8 As a result of her hospitalisation her mother was very protective of her and did not allow her to visit friends or play in the street for a long time afterwards Lynn recalled that her mother was not as strict with her elder brother Roger as she was with her 9 Career editShe began performing publicly at the age of seven and adopted her maternal grandmother Margaret s maiden name Lynn as her stage name when she was eleven 10 Aged 11 she joined a juvenile troupe called Madame Harris s Kracker Kabaret Kids and early in 1933 she was spotted by Howard Baker who invited her to join his band In turn she was taken on by Billy Cotton and briefly toured with his band in 1934 before returning to Howard Baker 11 It was with Baker that she made her first record on 17 February 1935 with a song called It s Home 12 Her first radio broadcast with the Joe Loss Orchestra was made on 21 August 1935 13 At this point she appeared on records released by dance bands including those of Loss and of Charlie Kunz 14 In 1936 her first solo record was released on the Crown label Up the Wooden Hill to Bedfordshire 15 This label was absorbed by Decca Records in 1938 16 She supported herself by working as an administrative assistant to the head of a shipping management company in London s East End 17 After a short stint with Loss she stayed with Kunz for a year or so during which she recorded several standard musical pieces She joined the Ambrose band in 1937 18 and remained with him until 1940 when she went solo Wartime career edit nbsp Lynn sings at a munitions factory in wartime Britain early 1941 Lynn s wartime contribution began when she would sing to people who were using London s tube station platforms as air raid shelters She would drive there in her Austin 10 car 19 Between 1937 and 1940 she also toured with the aristocrat of British dance bands Bert Ambrose 20 as part of the Ambrose Octet the group appeared in broadcasts for the BBC and for Radio Luxembourg She left Ambrose in 1940 21 During the Phoney War the Daily Express asked British servicemen to name their favourite musical performers Vera Lynn came out on top and as a result became known as the Forces Sweetheart On 1 July 1940 Lynn made her first appearance as a fully fledged solo act at the New Hippodrome in Coventry 22 Vera Lynn appeared in the revue Applesauce with Max Miller which commenced on 22 August 1940 at the Holborn Empire and ran until 9 September 1940 Its run was curtailed due to a bomb destroying the theatre The revue continued at the London Palladium from 5 March 1941 and ended on 29 November that year 23 Lynn had to leave the show for a while in July 1941 to have her appendix removed 24 Lynn is best known for the popular song We ll Meet Again written by Ross Parker and Hughie Charles 25 She first recorded it in 1939 with Arthur Young on Novachord and later again in 1953 accompanied by servicemen from the British Armed Forces 26 The nostalgic lyrics We ll meet again don t know where don t know when but I know we ll meet again some sunny day were very popular during the war and made the song one of its emblematic hits 27 Amongst her other well known wartime hits was The White Cliffs of Dover with words by Nat Burton music by Walter Kent 28 Her continuing popularity was ensured by the success of her weekly 30 minute radio programme Sincerely Yours which began airing at 9 30 p m on 9 November 1941 with messages to British troops serving abroad 21 14 Described as to the men of the forces a letter in words and Music she was accompanied by Fred Hartley and his music 29 Lynn and her quartet performed songs most requested by the soldiers Lynn also visited hospitals to interview new mothers and send personal messages to their husbands overseas 30 However in the aftermath of the fall of Singapore in February 1942 the programme was taken off air after the broadcast on 22 March 1942 31 for 18 months out of fear that the sentimental nature of her songs would undermine the virile nature of British soldiers Instead more traditionally martial classical music was promoted 32 Lynn returned with a regular show called It s Time for Vera Lynn on the BBC s Forces programme on 31 October 1943 when she was accompanied by Peter Yorke and His Orchestra The show was broadcast at 8 p m on Sunday nights and ran for twenty minutes 33 During the war years she joined the Entertainments National Service Association ENSA and toured Egypt India and Burma 34 giving outdoor concerts for British troops In March 1944 she went to Shamshernagar airfield in Bengal to entertain the troops before the Battle of Kohima Her host and lifelong friend Captain Bernard Holden recalled her courage and her contribution to morale 35 In 1985 she received the Burma Star for entertaining British guerrilla units in Japanese occupied Burma 36 Between 1942 and 1944 she appeared in three movies with wartime themes 21 Firstly she starred in a film called We ll Meet Again in 1943 which was based on her own life story that of a dancer who becomes a radio star She went on to make two more films during the war Rhythm Serenade 1943 37 and One Exciting Night 1944 In Rhythm Serenade she played a school teacher After her school is closed she tries to join up However she is persuaded to organise a nursery for a munitions factory One Exciting Night also known as You Can t Do Without Love was a dramatic musical comedy in which she helps thwart a gang of art thieves Postwar career edit Lynn s daughter and her only child Virginia Penelope Ann Lewis was born on 10 March 1946 After the war Lynn had wanted to concentrate on being a mother and wife However her unfulfilled contract with Decca Records and financial pressures meant that she was lured back into showbusiness in 1947 She started a new radio show called Vera Lynn Sings on the BBC s Light Programme on 16 February 1947 38 This was broadcast on Sunday evenings from 9 30 10 00 p m with Robert Farnon leading the musical accompaniment Her husband became her manager Her record label Decca astutely promoted her records in the U S during the musicians strike of 1948 and she had a U S Top Ten hit with You Can t Be True Dear In 1949 the BBC dropped her radio show because it claimed that there was no demand for her sob stuff they wanted her to sing in a more lively style so she made shows for Radio Luxembourg instead 39 Lynn kept touring and recording and in 1952 Lynn s British recording of a German song Auf Wiederseh n Sweetheart became her best selling record It became the first record by a British performer to top the charts in the United States 40 remaining there for nine weeks In Britain the song was the best selling record of the year 41 She also appeared regularly for a time on Tallulah Bankhead s US radio programme The Big Show 42 Auf Wiederseh n Sweetheart along with The Homing Waltz and Forget Me Not gave Lynn three entries on the first UK Singles Chart in November 1952 43 Vera Lynn was in the London Laughs revue at the Adelphi Theatre London from 12 April 1952 to 6 February 1954 with Tony Hancock and Jimmy Edwards 44 Her popularity continued in that decade peaking with My Son My Son a number one hit in 1954 45 written by Gordon Melville Rees Bob Howard and Eddie Calvert It also reached No 28 on Billboard magazine s singles charts in the USA 46 In 1956 Lynn began her first television series for Associated Rediffusion During the same year she signed an exclusive contract with the BBC for two years of radio and television work 21 In 1960 she left Decca Records after nearly 25 years and joined EMI 47 She recorded for EMI s Columbia MGM and HMV labels She also recorded Lionel Bart s song The Day After Tomorrow for the 1962 musical Blitz she did not appear onstage in the play but the characters in the play hear the song on the radio while they shelter from the bombs 48 In 1967 she recorded It Hurts To Say Goodbye 49 a song which hit the top 10 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart 50 nbsp Vera Lynn in 1973She hosted her own variety series on BBC1 in the late 1960s and early 1970s 51 and was a frequent guest on other variety shows such as the 1972 Morecambe amp Wise Christmas Show In 1972 she was a key performer in the BBC anniversary programme Fifty Years of Music In 1976 she hosted the BBC s A Jubilee of Music celebrating the pop music hits of the period 1952 1976 to commemorate the start of Queen Elizabeth II s Silver Jubilee year For ITV she presented a 1977 TV special to launch her album Vera Lynn in Nashville which included pop songs of the 1960s and country songs 52 The Royal Variety Performance included appearances by Vera Lynn on seven occasions 1951 53 1952 54 1957 55 1960 1975 1986 and 1990 56 57 Lynn was also interviewed about her role in entertaining the troops in the India Burma Theatre for The World at War series in 1974 Lynn is also notable for being the only artist to have a chart span on the British single and album charts reaching from the chart s inception to the 21st century in 1952 having three singles in the first ever singles chart compiled by New Musical Express 58 and later having a No 1 album with We ll Meet Again The Very Best of Vera Lynn 59 Recording career edit Vera Lynn made her solo recording debut with the song The General s Fast Asleep on 3 October 1935 accompanied by the Rhythm Rascals a pseudonym for Jay Wilbur s orchestra The 9 78 rpm single was issued on the Crown Records label 60 which went on to release a total of 8 singles recorded by Vera Lynn and Charles Smart on organ Early recordings include I m in the Mood for Love 61 and Red Sails in the Sunset 62 In 1938 the Decca label took over control of the British Crown label and the UK based Rex label they had also issued early singles from Lynn in 1937 including Harbour Lights In late September 1939 Vera Lynn first recorded a song that continues to be associated with her We ll Meet Again was originally recorded with Arthur Young on the Novachord 25 Throughout the 1940s and 1950s the Decca label issued all of Lynn s records including several recorded with Mantovani and His Orchestra in 1942 and with Robert Farnon from the late 1940s These were only available as 78 rpm singles which contained only two songs as an A and a B side In the mid 1950s Decca issued several EP singles which comprised between two and four recordings per side such as Vera Lynn s Party Sing Song from 1954 Lynn was the first British artist to have a number one in U S charts achieved with Auf Wiederseh n Sweetheart which stayed at the top for nine weeks in 1952 Singles were now issued on two formats the known 78 rpm 10 shellac discs and the recently introduced 45 rpm 7 vinyl single In the late 1950s Lynn recorded four albums at Decca the first Vera Lynn Concert remains her only live recording ever issued on vinyl 63 64 65 66 67 In 1960 after more than 20 years at Decca Records Lynn signed to the US based MGM Records In the UK her recordings were distributed by the His Master s Voice label later EMI Records Several albums and stand alone singles were recorded with Geoff Love and His Orchestra Norman Newell also took over as Lynn s producer in this period and remained with her until her 1976 album Christmas with Vera Lynn Recording at EMI Records up until 1977 Lynn released thirteen albums with material as diverse as traditional hymns pop and country songs as well as re recording many of her known songs from the 1940s for the albums Hits of the Blitz 1962 More Hits of the Blitz and Vera Lynn Remembers The World at War 1974 In the 1980s two albums of contemporary pop songs were recorded at the Pye Records label both including covers of songs previously recorded by artists such as ABBA and Barry Manilow 68 67 69 70 71 In 1982 Lynn released the stand alone single I Love This Land written by Andre Previn to mark the end of the Falklands War Lynn s last recordings before her retirement were issued in 1991 via the News of the World newspaper with proceeds in aid of the Gulf Trust 72 Later years edit Lynn sang outside Buckingham Palace in 1995 in a ceremony that marked the golden jubilee of VE Day 73 The United Kingdom s VE Day ceremonies in 2005 included a concert in Trafalgar Square London in which Lynn made a surprise appearance She made a speech praising the veterans and calling upon the younger generation always to remember their sacrifice and joined in with a few bars of We ll Meet Again This would be Lynn s final vocal performance at a VE Day anniversary event 21 Following that year s Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance Lynn encouraged the Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins to assume the mantle of Forces Sweetheart 73 74 75 In her speech Lynn said These boys gave their lives and some came home badly injured and for some families life would never be the same We should always remember we should never forget and we should teach the children to remember 76 nbsp Lynn in 2009In September 2008 Lynn helped launch a new social history recording website The Times of My Life at the Cabinet War Rooms in London 77 Lynn published her autobiography Some Sunny Day in 2009 She had written two previous memoirs Vocal Refrain 1975 and We ll Meet Again 1989 78 In February 2009 it was reported that Lynn was suing the British National Party BNP for using The White Cliffs of Dover on an anti immigration album without her permission Her lawyer claimed the album seemed to link Lynn who did not align with any political party to the party s views by association 79 In September 2009 at the age of 92 Lynn became the oldest living artist to make it to No 1 in the British album chart 80 Her compilation album We ll Meet Again The Very Best of Vera Lynn entered the chart at number 20 on 30 August and then climbed to No 2 the following week before reaching the top position outselling both the Arctic Monkeys and the Beatles 81 82 With this achievement she surpassed Bob Dylan as the oldest artist to have a number one album in the UK 82 In August 2014 Lynn was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian opposing Scottish independence in the run up to September s referendum on that issue 83 In May 2015 she was unable to attend VE Day 70 A Party to Remember in London but was interviewed at home by the Daily Mirror 84 Three days before her 100th birthday on 17 March 2017 a new LP entitled Vera Lynn 100 was released through Decca Records 85 The album setting Lynn s original vocals to new re orchestrated versions of her songs also involves several duet partners including Alfie Boe Alexander Armstrong Aled Jones and the RAF Squadronaires 86 Parlophone which owns Lynn s later recordings from the 1960s and 1970s released a collection of her songs recorded at Abbey Road Studios entitled Her Greatest from Abbey Road on 10 March 2017 including five previously unreleased original recordings 87 By October 2017 she was the best selling female artist of the year in the UK having sold more albums than contemporary artists like Dua Lipa and Lana Del Rey 88 Lynn received two nominations at the 2018 Classic Brit Awards for Female Artist of the Year and Album of the Year and was also the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award 89 nbsp Dame Vera Lynn s daughter Virginia Lewis Jones and Ross Kolby in front of his portrait of Lynn at the unveiling ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall on 13 January 2020 In January 2020 a new painted portrait of Lynn was given as a gift from London Mint Office to the Royal Albert Hall in connection with the 75th anniversary of the peace in 1945 90 The portrait is painted by Ross Kolby and was unveiled by Lynn s daughter Virginia Lewis Jones and Britain s Got Talent winner Colin Thackery 91 92 On 5 April 2020 the song We ll Meet Again was echoed by Queen Elizabeth II in a television address she delivered addressing the COVID 19 pandemic 93 For the 75th anniversary of VE Day Lynn and Katherine Jenkins duetted virtually Jenkins singing next to a hologram at the Royal Albert Hall which was empty due to the COVID 19 pandemic 94 In June 2021 a wildflower meadow on the White Cliffs of Dover was named in honour of Lynn 95 Honours and cultural references edit nbsp Locomotive No 3672 Dame Vera Lynn at North Yorkshire Moors Railway In 1976 Lynn received an honorary Doctorate of Laws from the Memorial University of Newfoundland 96 She received the Freedom of the City of London in 1978 97 In 2000 she received a Spirit of the 20th Century Award in a nationwide poll in which she won 21 of the vote 98 A street named in her honour Vera Lynn Close is situated in Forest Gate London 99 She was awarded the honorary degree of Master of Music M Mus in 1992 by the University of London 100 She was the subject of This Is Your Life on two occasions in October 1957 when she was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at the BBC Television Theatre citation needed and again in December 1978 for an episode which was broadcast on 1 January 1979 when Andrews surprised her at the Cafe Royal London citation needed In 2018 Lynn received the Outstanding Contribution to Music award at the Classic Brit Awards 101 In January 2019 it was reported that The London Mint Office had commissioned acclaimed Norwegian artist Ross Kolby to paint a portrait of Dame Vera The painting was unveiled on 13 January 2020 and hangs in the Royal Albert Hall in London where Dame Vera performed on 52 occasions 102 Lynn s visit to the Burma front during the Second World War was included in the British television documentary series The World at War in 1974 and narrated by Laurence Olivier A short interview made for the documentary is included in Episode 14 It s A Lovely Day Tomorrow Burma 1942 1944 103 On their 1979 album The Wall Pink Floyd released a song titled Vera referencing Vera Lynn and the song We ll Meet Again with the lyrics Does anybody here remember Vera Lynn Remember how she said that We would meet again Some sunny day 104 We ll Meet Again was also used as an intro to the live performances of The Wall in 1980 and 1981 as can be heard on Is There Anybody Out There The Wall Live 1980 81 The 1982 film Pink Floyd The Wall opens with The Little Boy that Santa Claus Forgot performed by Lynn 105 On Gary Numan s 1982 album I Assassin the song War Songs has the chorus Old men love war songs Love Vera Lynn Old men love war songs Now I m Vera Lynn The ending of Stanley Kubrick s black comedy film about the triggering of World War III and the nuclear annihilation of civilisation Dr Strangelove shows several minutes of nuclear explosions with a musical accompaniment of the 1953 version of We ll Meet Again with Vera Lynn and an armed services chorus A preserved example of the WD Austerity 2 10 0 class of steam locomotives at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway is named Dame Vera Lynn 106 One of two new boats for the Woolwich Ferry service which were delivered via Tilbury in autumn 2018 was named Dame Vera Lynn in her honour 107 108 On his 2018 album Would You Still Be in Love Anthony Green released a song titled Vera Lynn that referenced her songs We ll Meet Again and A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square 109 British honours edit nbsp War Medal 1939 1945 nbsp Burma Star nbsp Most Excellent Order of the British Empire Officer appointed for services to the Royal Air Forces Association and other charities 1969 New Year Honours 110 Dame Commander appointed for charitable services 1975 Birthday Honours 111 nbsp Officer of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem 1997 112 nbsp Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour 2016 Birthday Honours appointed for services to entertainment and charity 113 114 Foreign honours edit nbsp Commander of the Order of Orange Nassau The Netherlands 1977 115 Charity work edit nbsp Vera Lynn Hawkwind and others at Crystal Palace Bowl 24 August 1985In 1953 Lynn formed the cerebral palsy charity SOS The Stars Organisation for Spastics and became its chairperson 116 117 The Vera Lynn Charity Breast Cancer Research Trust was founded in 1976 with Lynn its chairperson and later its president 118 In August 1985 she appeared on stage at Crystal Palace Bowl with Hawkwind Doctor and the Medics and several other rock bands for the finale of a benefit concert for Pete Townshend s Double O anti heroin charity 119 In 2002 Lynn became president of the cerebral palsy charity The Dame Vera Lynn Trust for Children with Cerebral Palsy and hosted a celebrity concert on its behalf at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London 120 In 2008 Lynn became patron of the charitable Forces Literary Organisation Worldwide for ALL 121 She became the patron of the Dover War Memorial Project in 2010 122 the same year she became patron of the British charity Projects to Support Refugees from Burma Help 4 Forgotten Allies 123 In 2013 she joined a PETA campaign against pigeon racing stating that the sport is utterly cruel 124 Personal life editDuring the Second World War Lynn lived with her parents in a house she had bought in 1938 at 24 Upney Lane Barking 125 In 1941 Lynn married Harry Lewis a clarinetist saxophonist and fellow member of Ambrose s orchestra 126 whom she had met two years earlier They rented another house in Upney Lane near her parents house 125 Lewis became Lynn s manager prior to 1950 after leaving his own career behind 21 After the Second World War Lynn and Lewis moved to Finchley north London The couple lived in Ditchling East Sussex from the early 1960s onwards living next door to their daughter 127 The couple had one child in March 1946 Virginia Penelope Anne Lewis now Lewis Jones Harry Lewis died in 1998 128 Death and legacy edit nbsp Funeral processionLynn died on 18 June 2020 at her home in East Sussex at the age of 103 129 130 Tributes to Lynn were led by the Royal Family with Queen Elizabeth II sending private condolences to Lynn s family and Clarence House issuing tributes from the then Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall The then Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Leader of the Opposition Sir Keir Starmer also led with tributes in Parliament while musicians like Sir Paul McCartney and Katherine Jenkins and public figures like Captain Tom Moore discussed her profound impact 131 The Band of the Coldstream Guards convened the same day to play her song We ll Meet Again 132 Lynn was given a military funeral which was held on 10 July 2020 in East Sussex The procession made its way from her home in Ditchling to the Woodvale Crematorium in Brighton 133 it was widely attended by the public Ditchling was decorated with poppies a symbol of military remembrance Ahead of the funeral the White Cliffs of Dover had images of Lynn projected onto them as We ll Meet Again was being played across the English Channel Her cortege was accompanied by members of the Royal Air Force the British Army the Royal Navy and the Royal British Legion as well as the Battle of Britain Spitfire flypast which followed the cortege and passed over Ditchling three times 10 July 2020 was the 80th anniversary of the start of the Battle of Britain Her coffin was draped in a Union Flag with a wreath At the family service at the Woodvale Crematorium chapel she was serenaded by a Royal Marine bugler Her family have said a public memorial service will be organised for some time in the future 133 134 On 21 March 2022 a thanksgiving service for Lynn was held at Westminster Abbey 135 Following Lynn s death Jenkins began campaigning to erect a statue of her by the White Cliffs of Dover a reference to one of her signature songs There ll Be Bluebirds Over The White Cliffs of Dover 136 Jenkins and Lynn s death established the Dame Vera Lynn Memorial Trust and selected sculptor Paul Day to design the memorial In July 2022 the Dover District Council announced that Lynn s family had decided to place the memorial elsewhere as they found Dover insufficent to honour Lynn s legacy 137 The memorial subsequently evolved into The Forces Sweetheart And Wartime Entertainers Memorial honouring Lynn and all those unsung heroes who entertain in times of conflict 138 The memorial is planned for the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire Discography editStudio albums edit Title Details Peak chart positions CertificationsUKSincerely Yours 71 Released 1949 Label Decca Vera Lynn Concert 71 Released 1955 Label Decca If I Am Dreaming 139 Released 1956 Label Decca The Wonderful World of Nursery Rhymes 140 Released 1958 Label Decca Vera Lynn Sings Songs of the Tuneful Twenties 71 Released 1959 Label Decca Sing With Vera 71 With the Williams Singers and Geoff Love amp His Orchestra Released 1960 Label MGM Records Yours 71 With the Williams Singers and Geoff Love amp His Orchestra Released 1960 Label MGM Records As Time Goes By 71 With the Williams Singers and Geoff Love amp His Orchestra Released 1961 Label MGM Records Hits of the Blitz 141 With Tony Osborne amp His Orchestra Released 1962 Label His Master s Voice The Wonderful Vera Lynn 71 With Tony Osborne amp His Orchestra Released 1963 Label His Master s Voice Among My Souvenirs 71 With Tony Osborne amp His Orchestra Released 1964 Label His Master s Voice More Hits of the Blitz 141 With the Sam Fonteyn Orchestra Released 1966 Label His Master s Voice Hits of the 60 s My Way 71 With Alyn Ainsworth and Orchestra Released 1970 Label Columbia Unforgettable Songs by Vera Lynn 71 With Alyn Ainsworth and Orchestra Released 1972 Label Columbia Favourite Sacred Songs 71 With the Mike Sammes Singers Released 1972 Label Columbia Vera Lynn Remembers The World at War 142 With Alyn Ainsworth and Orchestra Released 1974 Label EMI Christmas with Vera Lynn 71 With Alyn Ainsworth and Orchestra Released 1976 Label EMI Vera Lynn in Nashville 71 Released 1977 Label EMI Thank You For the Music I Sing The Songs 71 Released 1979 Label Pye Singing To the World 143 Released 1981 Label Pye 20 Family Favourites 2 Released 21 November 1981 Label 25 UK Gold 144 Vera Lynn Remembers 145 Released 1984 Label Nelson We ll Meet Again 2 Released 9 September 1989 Label 44Unforgettable 2 Released 30 May 2010 Label 61Compilation albums edit Title Details Peak chart positions CertificationsUK IRE EU DUT NOR NZ DEN BEL AUSHits of the War Years Released August 1985 Label Hammard Format LP Cassette 32 146 We ll Meet Again The Very Best of Vera Lynn 147 148 Released 25 August 2009 Label Decca Records Formats CD digital download 1 48 8 83 18 8 28 10 21 UK Platinum 144 National Treasure Ultimate Collection 149 Released 8 June 2014 Label 13 Her Greatest from Abbey Road 2 Released 10 March 2017 Label Parlophone 45 Vera Lynn 100 2 Released 17 March 2017 Label Decca Records 3 UK Gold 144 Charted singles edit Year Title Peak chart positionsUK US USA C USCashbox1948 You Can t Be True Dear 150 9 1949 Again 150 23 1952 Auf Wiederseh n Sweetheart 2 10 1 1 Forget Me Not 2 5 The Homing Waltz 2 9 Yours Quiereme Mucho 150 7 101953 The Windsor Waltz 2 11 1954 We ll Meet Again 2 55 29 If You Love Me Really Love Me 151 21 5 My Son My Son 2 1 28 221956 Who Are We 2 30 Such a Day 152 153 96 45 A House with Love in It 2 17 1957 The Faithful Hussar Don t Cry My Love 2 29 55 40 Travellin Home 2 20 1967 It Hurts to Say Goodbye 154 155 7 2014 We ll Meet Again duet with Katherine Jenkins 156 2 72 2020 Land of Hope and Glory 2 17 Filmography editFilm 157 Year Role Notes RefWe ll Meet Again 1942 Peggy Brown 158 Rhythm Serenade 1943 Ann Martin 159 One Exciting Night 1944 Vera Baker also known as You Can t Do Without Love 160 Venus fra Vesto 1962 161 A Gift for Love 1963 music performance 162 Publications editLynn Vera 1975 Vocal Refrain London W H Allen Lynn Vera and Cross Robin 1989 We ll Meet Again London Sidgwick amp Jackson Lynn Vera 2009 Some Sunny Day London HarperCollins ISBN 978 0 00 731815 5References edit Dame Vera Lynn the new queen of the album charts at 92 Official UK Charts 8 June 2014 Retrieved 14 December 2019 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Vera Lynn full Official Chart History Official Charts Company Retrieved 13 May 2020 Obituary Dame Vera Lynn a symbol of resilience and hope BBC 18 June 2020 Retrieved 20 June 2020 Seidenberg Steven Sellar Maurice Jones Lou 1995 You Must Remember This Great Britain Boxtree Ltd p 132 ISBN 0 7522 1065 3 Dame Vera Lynn It is so important to keep going keep smiling and keep hoping The Daily Telegraph Retrieved 13 May 2020 Dame Vera Lynn the Forces Sweetheart turns 100 BBC Retrieved 13 May 2020 Welch Bertram S amp Martin Annie in Register of Marriages for West Ham Registration District vol 4a March quarter 1913 p 43 Eames Tom 18 June 2020 Vera Lynn facts Iconic singer s age songs daughter husband and more revealed Smooth Radio Retrieved 18 June 2020 Wintle Angela 22 December 2017 Vera Lynn Mum was determined to put me on stage I didn t complain The Guardian Retrieved 18 June 2020 Lynn Vera 2009 Some Sunny Day London UK HarperCollins p 43 ISBN 978 0 00 731815 5 West Ham and South Essex Mail 14 December 1934 p 4 The Era 27 February 1935 West Ham and South Essex Mail 13 September 1935 p 1 a b Seidenberg Sellar Jones p 132 Some Sunny Day p 74 Some Sunny Day p 73 Vera Lynn singer and forces sweetheart dies aged 103 The Guardian 18 June 2020 The Era 28 April 1938 p 12 Lynn Vera 2009 Some Sunny Day London HarperCollins p 93 ISBN 978 0 00 731815 5 Some Sunny Day p 83 a b c d e f Dame Vera Lynn obituary The Guardian London UK 18 June 2010 Retrieved 20 June 2020 Guthrie Kate 2017 Vera Lynn on Screen Popular Music and the People s War PDF Twentieth Century Music 14 2 245 270 doi 10 1017 S1478572217000226 ISSN 1478 5722 S2CID 192905715 maxmiller org maxmiller org Retrieved 14 February 2022 Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News 8 August 1941 p 108 a b Baade Christina L 2012 Victory Through Harmony The BBC and Popular Music in World War II Oxford University Press p 8 ISBN 9780195372014 Vera Lynn We ll Meet Again I m Praying To St Christopher Discogs 1953 Obituary Dame Vera Lynn a symbol of resilience and hope BBC News 18 June 2020 Seidenberg Sellar Jones p 24 Londonderry Sentinel 8 November 1941 p 3 Some Sunny Day pp 139 140 The Londonderry Sentinel 21 March 1942 p 6 Todman Daniel 2020 Britain s War Vol 2 London pp 116 7 ISBN 978 0 241 24999 4 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Manchester Evening News 30 October 1943 p 4 Pertwee Bill 1992 Stars in Battledress London UK Hodder and Stoughton p 19 ISBN 0 340 54662 X Technology Obituaries Bernard Holden The Daily Telegraph London UK 4 October 2012 Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 Retrieved 14 June 2014 Dame Vera Lynn to receive Burma Star The Times No 62091 20 March 1985 p 2 col A Mundy John 2007 The British Musical Film Manchester University Press p 98 ISBN 9780719063213 Sunday Mirror 19 January 1947 p 6 Lynn Vera 2009 Some Sunny Day London HarperCollins pp 215 234 ISBN 978 0 00 731815 5 Vera Lynn Retrieved 1 January 2011 The biggest selling single of every year revealed 1952 1985 Official Charts Retrieved 7 April 2022 Some Sunny Day p 233 Sexton Paul 18 June 2020 Dame Vera Lynn Britain s Beloved Forces Sweetheart Dies At 103 uDiscoverMusic Retrieved 18 June 2020 guidetomusicaltheatre com guidetomusicaltheatre com Retrieved 15 February 2022 Official Charts Vera Lynn Top 75 releases Retrieved 10 January 2011 Whitburn Joel 1986 Joel Whitburn s Pop Memories 1890 1954 Menomonee Falls Wisconsin Record Research Inc p 286 ISBN 0 89820 083 0 Some Sunny Day p 262 Wood Alex 18 June 2020 Dame Vera Lynn dies aged 103 WhatsOnStage com Retrieved 18 June 2020 Recording It Hurts to Say Goodbye SecondHandSongs Retrieved 10 January 2011 It Hurts to Say Goodbye song by Vera Lynn Music VF US amp UK hits charts MusicVF com Retrieved 7 April 2022 The singer who comes back at the top while popular music fashions change The Times Thursday 20 January 1972 pg 16 Issue 58380 col A Lynn Welch Dame Vera Gove Music on Line OUP Retrieved 10 January 2011 Royal Variety Charity royalvarietycharity org Retrieved 23 February 2022 Royal Variety Charity royalvarietycharity org Retrieved 23 February 2022 Royal Variety Charity royalvarietycharity org Retrieved 23 February 2022 Some Sunny Day p 289 operathephantom 26 May 2011 Dame Vera Lynn performs at 1990 Royal Variety Performance Archived from the original on 24 September 2021 Retrieved 14 March 2019 via YouTube Bush John Eder Bruce Biography Vera Lynn Billboard Retrieved 10 January 2011 We ll Meet Again The Very Best Of Acharts us Retrieved 10 January 2011 British Crown Records IAJRC Journal Faqs org Retrieved 22 February 2011 Vera Lynn Vera Lynn I m in the Mood for Love retrieved 20 March 2020 Red Sails in the Sunset 1935 Archived from the original on 24 September 2021 Retrieved 20 March 2020 via YouTube Decca records general catalogue 1949 London GB Decca 28 October 2015 Retrieved 18 June 2020 via Issuu Vera Lynn with Woolf Phillips amp His Orchestra And The Clubmen Vera Lynn Concert Discogs Retrieved 18 June 2020 EP Discography for Decca Records Australia Global Dog Productions Retrieved 18 June 2020 Vera Lynn 78 RPM Discography UK 78 RPM 45 Worlds Retrieved 18 June 2020 a b Vera Lynn on Apple Music Apple Music Retrieved 18 June 2020 Southall Brian 2011 Abbey Road The Story of the World s Most Famous Recording Studios Vince Peter Rouse Allan London Omnibus ISBN 978 0 85712 676 4 OCLC 830001182 Obituary Dame Vera Lynn a symbol of resilience and hope BBC News 18 June 2020 Retrieved 18 June 2020 Barry Manilow Covered Songs and Artists Setlist Retrieved 18 June 2020 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o LP Discography Vera Lynn Discography LP Discography Retrieved 18 June 2020 Dame Vera Lynn With The 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards Specially Recorded By Dame Vera Lynn For The News Of The World 45cat com Retrieved 21 March 2018 a b Some Sunny Day p 295 Jenkins performs for Iraq troops BBC News 23 December 2005 Retrieved 18 June 2020 Jenkins sings for Dame Vera at 90 BBC News 20 March 2007 Retrieved 18 June 2020 Thousands mark VE Day across UK BBC News 8 May 2005 Retrieved 18 June 2020 Blessed are The Times of My Life Response Source 17 September 2008 Retrieved 23 October 2009 Thorpe Vanessa 15 February 2009 At 92 forces sweetheart Vera Lynn tells her life story The Guardian London Retrieved 23 October 2009 Dame Vera Lynn takes on BNP over White Cliffs of Dover The Daily Telegraph London 18 February 2009 Archived from the original on 3 June 2010 Retrieved 27 May 2010 Singh Anita 2 September 2009 Dame Vera Lynn in chart battle with Arctic Monkeys The Daily Telegraph Archived from the original on 6 September 2009 Retrieved 2 January 2011 Dame Vera Lynn re enters charts BBC News 31 August 2009 Retrieved 23 October 2009 a b Leach Ben 13 September 2009 Dame Vera Lynn becomes oldest living artist to have number one album The Daily Telegraph London UK Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 Retrieved 27 May 2010 Celebrities open letter to Scotland full text and list of signatories The Guardian 7 August 2014 Retrieved 26 August 2014 Bletchly Rachael 8 May 2015 VE Day Dame Vera Lynn on why we must always remember the heroes of the Second World War Daily Mirror Retrieved 9 May 2015 Dame Vera Lynn breaks own record with new album at 100 BBC News 2 February 2017 Retrieved 2 February 2017 Vera Lynn 100 by Vera Lynn Amazon UK 1 February 2017 Retrieved 1 February 2017 Vera Lynn Her Greatest From Abbey Road Resident Resident music com 1 February 2017 Retrieved 1 February 2017 Dame Vera Lynn is currently the UK s top selling female artist of 2017 NME Music 5 October 2017 Retrieved 18 June 2020 The nominations for the Classic BRIT Awards have been revealed Classic FM Retrieved 14 March 2019 Horton Tom 13 January 2020 Dame Vera Lynn portrait goes on display at the Royal Albert Hall The Belfast Telegraph Retrieved 7 February 2020 Dame Vera Lynn portrait to hang on display at Royal Albert Hall Sussex Express 14 January 2019 Dame Vera Lynn The Voice of a Nation on Vimeo 8 January 2020 via Vimeo The Queen s coronavirus address We will meet again BBC News 5 April 2020 Retrieved 6 April 2020 Katherine Jenkins to perform VE Day concert at empty Royal Albert Hall The Guardian 4 May 2020 Retrieved 18 June 2020 Wildflower meadow on White Cliffs of Dover named in honour of Dame Vera Lynn ITV News 17 June 2021 Retrieved 18 June 2021 Honorary graduates of Memorial University of Newfoundland 1960 Present PDF Memorial University of Newfoundland Archived from the original PDF on 15 February 2016 Retrieved 15 March 2016 Lynn Vera 1917 Encyclopedia com Retrieved 9 February 2016 At 92 forces sweetheart Vera Lynn tells her life story The Guardian 15 February 2009 Retrieved 7 February 2020 Walawalkar Aaron 20 March 2017 New street signs to honour Dame Vera Lynn on her 100th birthday Newham Recorder Retrieved 18 June 2020 Dame Vera Lynn dies aged 103 University of London Retrieved 19 June 2020 Dame Vera Lynn to receive Lifetime Achievement Award Classic Brits 26 March 2018 Retrieved 18 June 2020 Dame Vera Lynn portrait to hang on display at Royal Albert Hall Midsussextimes co uk World at War the Pt 14 It s a Lovely Day Tomorrow TV The Paley Center for Media Retrieved 18 June 2020 Vera Lyrics The Wall Lyrics Pink Floyd Lyrics Retrieved 25 May 2016 Merey Andy 22 December 2015 The Little Boy that Santa Claus Forgot DurhamRegion com Retrieved 18 June 2020 Locomotives at the NYMR Nymr co uk Retrieved 25 August 2016 Broadbent Giles 30 June 2017 Names for new Woolwich ferries revealed The Wharf Retrieved 30 June 2017 Dame Vera Lynn IMO 9822023 ShipSpotting com Retrieved 8 October 2019 New Video for Vera Lynn Anthony Green 13 June 2018 Retrieved 14 March 2019 No 44740 The London Gazette 20 December 1968 pp 10 12 No 46593 The London Gazette Supplement 6 June 1975 p 7376 No 54652 The London Gazette 16 January 1997 p 596 No 61608 The London Gazette Supplement 11 June 2016 p B27 Queen s Birthday Honours The Daily Telegraph Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 Retrieved 10 June 2016 Branch History RAF Association Amsterdam Branch Retrieved 30 July 2019 Stars Foundation for Cerebral Palsy Starsorg co uk Archived from the original on 4 July 2009 Retrieved 27 September 2010 Lynn Vera 1976 Vocal Refrain Wyndham Publications Ltd ISBN 0 352 39884 1 Breast Cancer Research Trust Retrieved 23 October 2009 Cooper Leonie 18 June 2020 Yes Dame Vera Lynn played an anti heroin gig with Hawkwind and Lemmy NME Retrieved 18 June 2020 Dame Vera Lynn Trust for Children with Cerebral Palsy Dvltrust org uk Retrieved 23 October 2009 FLOW for ALL Welcome Flowforall org Retrieved 9 February 2016 The Dover War Memorial Project Remembering the casualties of World War from Dover Kent England the Front Line town of Hellfire Corner Doverwar e orialproject org uk Retrieved 9 February 2016 Help for Forgotten Allies Psrb org uk 30 March 2013 Retrieved 26 August 2014 Low Valentine 28 March 2013 Queen urged to end support for cruel pigeon racing The Times Retrieved 18 June 2020 a b King Jon 20 March 2017 Former Barking resident Dame Vera Lynn is 100 years old today Barking and Dagenham Post Retrieved 23 June 2020 Farndale Nigel 17 August 2009 Dame Vera Lynn the original Forces Sweetheart is still in demand The Daily Telegraph London UK Archived from the original on 26 November 2010 Retrieved 31 December 2010 Birthday chorus for Forces Sweetheart Dame Vera From The Argus Theargus co uk Retrieved 23 October 2009 Harry Lewis The Herald 2 June 1998 Retrieved 21 March 2015 Forces Sweetheart Dame Vera Lynn dies aged 103 BBC News 18 June 2020 Retrieved 18 June 2020 Beaumont Thomas Ben 18 June 2020 Vera Lynn singer and forces sweetheart dies aged 103 The Guardian London Retrieved 18 June 2020 Royalty and McCartney lead Dame Vera tributes BBC News 18 June 2020 Retrieved 10 July 2020 Coldstream Guards Perform Dame Vera Lynn s We ll Meet Again In Full Forces TV 18 June 2020 Archived from the original on 24 September 2021 Retrieved 10 July 2020 via YouTube a b Dame Vera Lynn Spitfire flypast marks funeral BBC News BBC 10 July 2020 Archived from the original on 10 July 2020 Retrieved 11 July 2020 Funeral held for Forces Sweetheart Dame Vera Lynn BBC News Retrieved 10 July 2020 Dame Vera Lynn s life celebrated at Westminster Abbey service BBC News 21 March 2022 Katherine Jenkins campaigns for statue of Vera Lynn Raidio Teilifis Eireann 4 July 2020 Retrieved 10 July 2020 Dame Vera Lynn Memorial statue will not be in Dover BBC Published 26 July 2022 Retrieved 30 April 2023 Forces Sweetheart And Wartime Entertainers Memorial To Feature At National Memorial Arboretum Dame Vera Lynn Memorial Statue Published 26 April 2023 Retrieved 30 April 2023 Reviews and Ratings of New Popular Albums Billboard 24 November 1956 p 26 Retrieved 18 June 2020 The Wonderful World of Nursery Rhymes Vera Lynn Kenneth McKellar AllMusic Retrieved 18 June 2020 a b Braid Mary 24 April 1994 Dame Vera we ll meet again and again and again and The Independent Archived from the original on 11 August 2022 Retrieved 18 June 2020 Vera Lynn Remembers the World at War Imperial War Museums Retrieved 18 June 2020 Vera Lynn Singing To The World Discogs 1981 Retrieved 18 June 2020 a b c British album certifications Vera Lynn Certifications British Phonographic Industry Selectalbumsin the Format field TypeCertifications in the Search BPI Awards field and then press Enter Vera Lynn Remembers Discogs 1984 Retrieved 18 June 2020 Kent David 1993 Australian Chart Book 1970 1992 St Ives NSW Australian Chart Book ISBN 0 646 11917 6 Vera Lynn We ll Meet Again The Very Best Of Music Charts Acharts us Retrieved 23 October 2009 Vera Lynn We ll Meet Again the Very Best of Vera Lynn Music Charts Acharts us Archived from the original on 5 August 2012 Retrieved 23 October 2009 Furness Hannah 8 June 2014 Dame Vera Lynn breaks chart record aged 97 with album of wartime hits The Daily Telegraph ISSN 0307 1235 Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 Retrieved 18 June 2020 a b c Whitburn Joel 1973 Top Pop Records 1940 1955 Record Research Larkin Colin 2007 The Encyclopedia of Popular Music 5th concise ed London Omnibus Press ISBN 978 1 84609 856 7 OCLC 85691957 Billboard Nielsen Business Media Inc 25 February 1956 Such a Day song by Vera Lynn Music VF US amp UK hits charts Music VF Retrieved 18 June 2020 Vera Lynn Billboard Singles AllMusic Accessed on line 5 May 2009 Original versions of It Hurts to Say Goodbye by Vera Lynn SecondHandSongs com 6 January 1967 Retrieved 1 October 2016 We ll Meet Again single Apple Music 2014 Retrieved 17 June 2020 Vera Lynn British Film Institute Retrieved 18 June 2020 We ll Meet Again 1942 British Film Institute Retrieved 18 June 2020 Rhythm Serenade 1943 British Film Institute Retrieved 18 June 2020 One Exciting Night 1943 British Film Institute Retrieved 18 June 2020 Venus fra Vesto 1962 British Film Institute Retrieved 18 June 2020 A Gift for Love 1963 British Film Institute Retrieved 18 June 2020 External links edit nbsp Wikiquote has quotations related to Vera Lynn nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vera Lynn Hackel Erin 2013 Dame Vera Lynn Voice of a Generation PDF Kapralova Society Journal 11 2 1 6 Vera Lynn at IMDb Vera Lynn at AllMusic Dame Vera Lynn Trust for Children with Cerebral Palsy Vera Lynn discography at Discogs com 2002 Woman s Hour interview Q amp A with TIME Magazine in September 2009 2010 interview with Nathan Morley on CyBC Imperial War Museum Interview March 2017 online interview with Lord Ashcroft Vera Lynn s 78rpm recordings at the Internet Archive Portraits of Vera Lynn at the National Portrait Gallery London Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Vera Lynn amp oldid 1187926996, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.