Vera Lynn

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

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)
Haywards Heath, West Sussex, England[1]
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

Dame Vera Margaret Lynn CH DBE OStJ (née Welch; 20 March 1917 – 18 June 2020) was an English singer, entertainer and centenarian 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".

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.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference ODNB was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Dame Vera Lynn, the new queen of the album charts at 92". Official UK Charts. 8 June 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  3. ^ "Vera Lynn: full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  4. ^ "Obituary: Dame Vera Lynn, a symbol of resilience and hope". BBC. 18 June 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2020.