Book description
The remarkable autobiography of the last great wartime icon.
Born Vera Welch on 20 March, 1917 in the East End of London, Dame Vera
Lynn's career was set from an early age - along with her father, who
also did a 'turn', she sang in Working Men's Clubs from just seven years
old. She had a successful radio career with Joe Loss and Charlie Kunz in
the 1920s and '30s, but it was with World War II that she became the
iconic figure that captured the imagination of the national public.
Her spirit and verve, along with her ability to connect with the men
fighting for their country and those left behind praying for their loved
ones, made her the 'Forces' sweetheart'. Performing the songs that she
will always be associated with, such as 'We'll Meet Again' and 'Yours',
Vera toured Egypt, India and Burma to entertain the troops and bring
them a sense of 'back home'.
Her career after the war flourished, with hits in the US and the UK, but
Vera was never able to leave behind her wartime role and was deeply
affected by what she had seen. Still heavily involved with veteran and
other charities, this is Dame Vera's vivid story of her life and her war
- from bombs and rations to dance halls and the searing heat of her
appearances abroad. Epitomising British fortitude and hope, Dame Vera
gives a vivid portrait of Britain at war, and a unique story of one
woman who came to symbolize a nation. Dame Vera Lynn is one of our
most revered recording artists. Dubbed 'The Forces' Sweetheart' because
of her tireless work entertaining the troops during the Second World
War, she has come to symbolise many of the values the country fought to
maintain in that conflict. Her recordings of songs such as 'We'll Meet
Again' and 'The White Cliffs of Dover' have become icons of the war era
and of Britain's doughty resistance of the Nazi threat. She was
appointed a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1975.
Now in her nineties, Dame Vera is still active in charity work.
