Dame Vera LYNNdead aged 103 - We'll Meet Again singer mourned.
The singer, songwriter and actress passed away today, her family confirmed - she famously became the Forces' sweetheart thanks to her songs during the Second World War.
Born Vera Margaret Welch on 20 March, 1917 in East Ham, London, to a plumber father and a dressmaker mother, and became known as 'the Forces' sweetheart' in reference to her amazing popularity during the Second World War.
Her family said in a statement: "The family are deeply saddened to announce the passing of one of Britain's best-loved entertainers at the age of 103.
"Dame Vera Lynn, who lived in Ditchling, East Sussex, passed away earlier today, 18 June 2020, surrounded by her close family."
Dame Vera contributed amazingly to the morale of both the soldiers and their wives back home, through her 1941 radio programme, Sincerely Yours, which sent messages to the troops and also played their favourite songs, and also by visiting new mothers and sent their personal messages to their husbands overseas.
Post-war, she appeared on radio and television while she had a UK Number one single, My Son, My Son.
In 1941 Vera married musician Harry Lewis - a clarinettist and saxophonist - whom she had met two years earlier. Together they had one daughter, Virginia, and were married for 57 years until Harry’s death in 1998.
After the war, the young couple moved to Finchley in north London, until the early 1960s, when they moved to Ditchling, Sussex, where Vera stayed.
Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1969 New Year Honours "for services to the Royal Air Forces Association and other charities", she was then advanced to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1975.
For her services to the war effort, she was also awarded the British War Medal 1939-1945 and the Burma Star.
Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this sad time and her many fans and those for whom she was the epitome of British spirit and hope.
*Credit mirror.co.uk for the story.
We invite you to leave your own tributes and memories of Dame Vera Lynn below, or light a candle in her memory.
'I know we'll meet again some sunny day'
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