‘Wartime spirit will keep
Britain would benefit from the “selfless spirit” that the country showed in the Second World War, Dame Vera Lynn has said as she warned Britons that sticking to the Government’s rules on fighting coronavirus was the “difference between life and death”.
In an interview to mark her 103rd birthday yesterday, Dame Vera urged Britons to remain positive, use time alone at home to reconnect with their families and even rediscover the joy of writing letters to loved ones.
She said the key to getting through any crisis was “to come together to help one another” and be kind to each other to foster a strong community spirit as social distancing continues due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Dame Vera was speaking as Decca, her record label, released a video of original footage of her singing her 1939 song We’ll Meet Again.
Asked how Britons could draw on the nation’s wartime past to get through the crisis, she said: “We all did our bit back during the War, and we sacrificed a great deal for one another.
“Many of our brave boys made the ultimate sacrifice. Fortunately, we can make choices today that will limit the impact of coronavirus by changing the way we live for the next few months.
“I think we would benefit from that same selfless spirit, working together for the common good.
“The secret to getting through any crisis is always the same: we need to come together to help one another. During the War, being kind and having that sense of community spirit went a very long way. It helped us to live through dark times and it helped us to win, and I am sure it can help us again now. We all need to do our bit by following the Government’s sensible advice and by limiting our social contact with others, whilst still lending as much help and support to others as we can.”
As well as being made a Dame in the 1975 Birthday Honours list, Dame Vera also holds the 1939-45 War Medal and the Burma Star.
She said experiences such as the Blitz, when German bombers strafed