Join us for a night of nostalgia and fun

WHEN I received a request to MC a fundraising dinner for the Dame Vera Lynn Memorial Statue, I didn’t have to think twice about accepting.

Vera Lynn – the original Forces’ Sweetheart – is the epitome of a legend.

Aged just 22, she became a household name with her pitch-perfect songs rallying the Front Line and Home Front.

Never cowed by danger, Vera kept spirits raised; she sang to people on Tube station platforms during air raids; uplifting the world with We’ll Meet Again and (There’ll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover. Her songs promised a brighter future – we could certainly do with her optimism right now…

Her BBC radio show Sincerely Yours connected brave soldiers with messages from loved ones faraway. She toured Egypt, India and Burma, visiting war-torn areas with outdoor concerts for British troops. Her brave Burma boys remained close to her heart until the very end.

After the war, she worked tirelessly with charities benefiting veterans, as well as founding the Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity. In 2020, she rallied us yet again when Queen Elizabeth II quoted We’ll Meet Again in her address to a nation in lockdown.

Having written a biography of the late Queen, I know how much the wartime entertainers meant to the young Princess Elizabeth. Elizabeth II valued Dame Vera’s special contribution to our national life – and our place in the world.

Our beloved songbird left us at the great age of 103, but her legacy continues. The memorial statue will honour not just Dame Vera’s immense contribution, but all artistes who have performed in times of conflict.

Please dig deep dear readers ... and do come along and enjoy an evening of good food, fun and nostalgia. I will be there, recalling some of the happy times when I met Dame Vera – and telling some right royal stories about her.

My old friend Lord (Jeffrey) Archer will take the role of auctioneer and there is going to be some very special live music in the Vera Lynn tradition to enjoy.