FAREWELL – VERA LYNN

Westminster Abbey hosted a memorial service ceremony to celebrate life and work of the singer who died in 2020.

Tributes have been paid to Dame Vera Lynn, the Forces’ Sweetheart, at a thanksgiving service at Westminster Abbey, held to celebrate her life.

Representatives of the Armed Forces attended alongside members of her family, friends from the world of music and representatives from the charities she had supported.

During the thanksgiving service on Monday, the Central Band of the Royal British Legion greeted attendees on arrival and played out their departure.

• Dame Vera Lynn: An extraordinary life on display
• Dame Vera Lynn: The singer who inspired the wartime generation
• Dame Vera Lynn: Forces’ sweetheart dies aged 103

Dame Vera enjoyed a renowned career as a singer and entertainer spanning more than 90 years. She died in June 2020 at the age of 103.

Born in East Ham, London, on 20 March 1917, Dame Vera became known for entertaining troops during the Second World War with her uplifting musical performances and songs.

The singer made morale-boosting visits to the frontline during the period, often at great personal risk.

She was made a dame in 1975 and a Companion of Honour in 2016, not only for her popular songs capturing the spirit of Britain during wartime but also for her heavy involvement with charity work later in her life.

The wartime musical tribute group the ‘D-Day Darlings’ sang one of Dame Vera’s signature songs, ‘The White Cliffs of Dover’.

Welsh operatic singer Katherine Jenkins closed the ceremony with ‘We’ll Meet Again’, a song she and Dame Vera had re-released as a duet in 2020, shortly after her 103rd birthday, to raise money to support NHS workers and volunteers.

For more information Go to Forces Net by clicking HERE