Vera Lynn facts for kids

Vera Lynn
Quick facts for kids Dame ; Vera Lynn ; CH DBE OStJ
	Lynn in 1962
Background information
Birth name	Vera Margaret Welch
Born	20 March 1917; East Ham, Essex, England
Died	18 June 2020 (aged 103)
Genres	Popular, traditional pop
Years active	1924–2020
Labels	Decca (London for export); MGM; HMV; Columbia (EMI); EMI; Pye;

Dame Vera Margaret Lynn CH DBE OStJ (née Welch; 20 March 1917 – 18 June 2020) was a British singer, songwriter and entertainer whose musical recordings and performances were largely popular during the Second World War. She was widely known as "the Forces' Sweetheart" and gave outdoor concerts for the troops in Egypt, India, and Burma during the war as part of Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA). The songs most associated with her are "We'll Meet Again", "The White Cliffs of Dover", "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" and "There'll Always Be an England".

She remained popular after the war, appearing on radio and television in the United Kingdom and the U.S. and recording such hits as "Auf Wiederseh'n, Sweetheart" and her UK number one single "My Son, My Son". Her last single, "I Love This Land", was released to mark the end of the Falklands War. 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 2014, she released the collection Vera Lynn: National Treasure and in 2017, she released Vera Lynn 100, a compilation album of hits to commemorate her centennial year—it was a #3 hit, making her the first centenarian performer to have a Top 10 album in the charts.

Lynn devoted much time and energy to charity work connected with ex-servicemen, disabled children and breast cancer. She was held in great affection by veterans of the Second World War and in 2000 was named the Briton who best exemplified the spirit of the 20th century.

Vera Lynn's album We'll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn peaked #1 in the United Kingdom making her the oldest living artist to top the U.K. album charts. The album is some of her recordings made for Decca Records, for whom Lynn recorded between 1936 and 1959. It reached number one on the UK Albums Chart on 13 September 2009. The album entered the chart at number 20 on 30 August, and 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 is accompanied by Vera Lynn's song We'll Meet Again.

Lynn sings at a munitions factory in 1941

Albums

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

Movies

Movie
Year	Title	Role
1943	We'll Meet Again	Peggy Brown
1943	Rhythm Serenade	Ann Martin
1944	One Exciting Night	Vera Baker
1962	Venus fra Vestø	Herself

Images for kids

Vera Lynn (1962)
Vera Lynn in 1973