Dame Vera Margaret LynnCHDBE (néeWelch; 20 March 1917 – 18 June 2020) was an Englishsinger and actress. Lynn was born in East Ham, Essex. She began performing in public at age seven and she started using her grandmother's maiden name (Lynn) as her stage name.[1] Her first radio broadcast was in 1935 with the Joe Loss Orchestra. At this time she was being featured on records released by dance bands including those of Loss and of Charlie Kunz.[2]
She was popular during World War II. Her best known songs are We'll Meet Again and The White Cliffs of Dover.
Lynn worked a lot with charities for former military servicemen, disabled children, and breast cancer.[3]Veterans of the Second World War still admire her. She was named the Briton who best exemplified (the best example of) the spirit of the twentieth century, in 2000.[3]
Vera Lynn's album We'll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn went to #1 in the United Kingdom. This made her the oldest living artist to top the U.K. album charts.[4] The album is some of her recordings made for Decca Records. Lynn recorded for Decca between 1936 and 1959. The album reached number one on the UK Albums Chart on 13 September 2009. The album entered the chart at number 20 on 30 August. It then climbed to number 2 the following week, before reaching the top position.
The 1964 movie Dr. Strangelove, starring Peter Sellers and George C. Scott, ends with a world-ending war of atomic bombs. The scene uses Vera Lynn's song We'll Meet Again.
Lynn died on 18 June 2020 at the age of 103 in East Sussex.[5][6]
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1961 | Yours |
| 1961 | As Time Goes By |
| 1962 | Hits Of The Blitz |
| 1964 | Among My Souvenirs |
| 1966 | More Hits Of The Blitz |
| 1970 | Hits Of The 60's — My Way |
| 1972 | Favourite Sacred Songs |
| 1976 | Christmas With Vera Lynn |
| 1977 | Vera Lynn In Nashville |
| 1981 | 20 Family Favourites |
| 1989 | We'll Meet Again |
| 2009 | We'll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn |
| 2010 | Unforgettable |
| 2014 | National Treasure – Ultimate Collection |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | We'll Meet Again | Peggy Brown | |
| 1943 | Rhythm Serenade | Ann Martin | |
| 1944 | One Exciting Night | Vera Baker | |
| 1962 | Venus fra Vestø | Herself |