Dame Vera meets again with old primary school to mark 100th birthday
DAME Vera Lynn was serenaded by pupils from her old school yesterday to mark her 100th birthday.
The Forces’ Sweetheart, whose face was also projected on to the cliffs at Dover, quipped that “time marches on” when quizzed about her landmark anniversary.
She said: “When I look on my mantelpiece and see these cards wishing me a happy 100th birthday I can’t believe it, but there you are, time marches on.
“And this is what I have got up there on my mantelpiece, to remind me of how old I am.”
Dame Vera, who lives in Ditchling, East Sussex, was awarded the title Forces’ Sweetheart in 1939 following a Daily Express competition.
She celebrated her birthday with family and friends at a party organised by her daughter Virginia Lewis-Jones.
Dame Vera said: “I feel blessed to have reached 100 and I am humbled by everyone’s kindness.”
And there was a surprise when a choir from her old school Brampton Primary School in Newham, east London, sang songs including wartime hits We’ll Meet Again and The White Cliffs Of Dover to her via a webcam.
Dame Vera, who was born in East Ham and attended the school in the 1920s, told the students: “I have very happy memories of my days at Brampton Park school and I do hope that you’re happy there now.”
The 350ft image of the singer at Dover was commissioned to mark yesterday’s milestone.
Meanwhile, Dame Vera is expected to beat rapper Drake to third place in the album charts with her new album Vera Lynn 100, making her the oldest living artist ever to reach the Top 20.