My mum Vera Lynn said going to Burma was proudest time
Daughter tells of visit to mark VJ Day 76 years on
DAME Vera Lynn’s voice drifting out of old-fashioned wirelesses brought so much comfort to British troops far from home.
But the Forces Sweetheart believed the most important job she did was to be there near the Far East front line in person with what became known as the Forgotten Army of the Second World War, her daughter reveals.
On the 76th anniversary of VJ Day – when the Japanese surrendered – today we share stories from veterans.
And Virginia Lewis-Jones tells how her famous mum gladly risked her own life to do her bit – travelling to Burma to lift soldier’s spirits, and comfort the injured and dying.
“Mummy always said going there was the most important and significant thing she ever did,” says Virginia, 75.
“She said she took those soldiers a piece of home, reminded them what was waiting for them. She went places nobody else would go. She was very close to the front line, and endured incredible hardships. She pretty much lived as a soldier and really roughed it to be there.”
Virginia said the star – who died in June 2020 aged 103 – wasn’t just there to sing classics such as We’ll Meet Again and White Cliffs Of Dover.
“She went to the hospitals and stayed with ‘the boys’ as she called them. She kept a bullet removed from one chap’s leg and kept a special scrap book diary of Burma which she wasn’t supposed to do, but she did.
She didn’t want to be a pampered star, any of that. She just wanted to help other people. Being in Burma was one of the most important parts of her life.
“There’s a story of some guys walking through the jungle who found her photo pinned to a tree, unsure whether they should leave it or not.
“We still don’t know what happened to that photo, but she was voted the Forces Sweetheart for good reason, so I’m guessing it might still be there now, a reminder for anyone who goes there of what she did.
“She always had a special place in her heart for the Forgotten Soldiers. VJ Day was so special to her, and that’s why she made a point of paying her respects and remembering the fallen every
August.”