AI overview
Vera Lynn was a British singer who lived from 1917 to 2020 and became famous for performing songs that boosted morale during World War II. She is remembered as an important cultural figure in British history, particularly for her contributions to the war effort through her music and public presence.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Person · Open Library
- Born
- 1917-03-00
- Died
- 2020-06-18
- Works
- 7
Top works
- We'll Meet Again
- Some sunny day
- Unsung heroines
- The Day War Ended
- Vocal refrain
via Open Library + Wikidata
Film & TV
Acting · East Ham, London, England, UK
Dame Vera Lynn was an English singer-songwriter born Vera Margaret Welch on 20 March 1917. During World War II she toured India, Burma and Egypt, giving concerts for troops stationed there and gaining the nickname 'The Forces' Sweetheart'. Her 2009 album 'We'll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn' topped the UK album chart. At 92 she became the oldest artist to do so.
Known for
- Dame Vera Lynn at the BBC — Self2020
- 13 Hours That Saved Britain — Witness2011
- Entertaining the Troops — Self - Contributor2011
- The Unforgettable Norman Wisdom — Old Lady that sang During the War2011
- The One Show — Self2006
Article
Dame Vera Margaret Lewis (née Welch; 20 March 1917 – 18 June 2020), known professionally as Vera Lynn, was an English singer and entertainer whose musical recordings and performances were popular during World War II. She is honorifically known as the "Forces' Sweetheart", having given outdoor concerts for the troops in Egypt, India, and Burma during the war as part of the Entertainments National Service Association. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography wrote of Lynn, "Her reassuring voice and mastery of radio made her the forces' sweetheart in the Second World War—a connection she fostered with her ongoing commitment to veterans and memory of the war." The songs most associated with her include "We'll Meet Again", "(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover" and "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square".
She remained popular after the war, appearing on radio and television in the United Kingdom and the United States and recording such hits as "Auf Wiederseh'n, Sweetheart" and her UK number-one single "My Son, My Son". In 2009, at the age of 92, she became the oldest living artist to top the UK Albums Chart with the compilation album We'll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn. In 2017, Decca Records released Vera Lynn 100, a collection of younger artists duetting with archive recordings by Lynn. Issued to commemorate her centenary, it was a No. 3 hit, making her the first centenarian performer to have a Top 10 album in the charts. By the time of her death in 2020, she had been active in the music industry for 96 years.
Gallery (10)
Connections
Categories
1917 births2020 deaths20th-century English actresses20th-century English women singers21st-century English women singersActors from Lewes DistrictActors from the London Borough of NewhamActresses awarded damehoodsActresses from East SussexActresses from EssexBritish women in World War IICommanders of the Order of Orange-Nassau