Dame Vera Lynn, ‘the forces’ sweetheart’, dies

The singer and entertainer Vera Lynn, whose performances became synonymous with the Second World War, has died at the age of 103.

Born in 'ast Ham in London in 1917,

Lynn began performing at the age of seven, and left school at 11 to embark on a career as a singer and dancer. By 1939, still only 22, she had sold more than a million records – and, after war broke out that year, her shows for British troops in Egypt, Myanmar and India led to them voting her their favourite entertainer. The nickname ‘the forces’ sweetheart’ stuck, and the song ‘We’ll Meet Again’ became both her signature piece and one of the conflict’s most popular anthems. Indeed, its place in British culture has been sufficiently enduring that it was referenced in an address by the Queen as coronavirus lockdown measures were put in place in April.

Lynn was awarded an OB' in 1969 and made a dame six years later. Her final public performance was at a VE Day celebration in 2005. In a statement released earlier this year to mark the 75th anniversary of V' Day, Lynn remarked that “simple acts of bravery and sacrifice still define our nationq.

Vera Lynn in 1940. The singer, who died in June, was the oldest artist to have an album in the UK top 40