HAPPY BIRTHDAY VERA LYNN – and Thank You!

by Larry Miller

It was 75 Years ago today – May 8, 1945 – that the Allies celebrated Victory in Europe (V-E Day).  Citizens across the United States and Great Britain celebrated with parades and celebrations everywhere.

During the war, Allied troops were given a bit of "home" by British and American radio broadcasts, many of them coming from small field stations operated by the U.S. Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS).  Music from "home," wherever it might be, was divvied up by the BBC and AFRS.

Perhaps no single performer was better known than British singer, songwriter and actress Vera Lynn.  Songs like "The White Cliffs of Dover," "We'll Meet Again," and "There'll always be an England" became know around the world.

Of course, there were many other American, British, and French entertainers, along with performers from other countries, whose voices became familiar to many-a-soldier or sailor.  But few entertainers from WWII are still with us today. However, "Dame" Vera Lynn recently celebrated her 103rd birthday, and she was still performing well into her 90's.

When I began working in radio in the late 1950's, I remember playing a few Vera Lynn records on KCSR in Chadron, but I confess she was not someone with whom I was familiar – other than knowing she was British.  In later years, I came to better appreciate her work.

Her wonderful WWII recording of "We'll Meet Again" was revived for Stanley Kubrick's 1954 film "Dr. Strangelove," a black comedy surrounding the military and nuclear war.  British radio actor/comedian Peter Sellers had done a few films, but this one brought him to the fore with American audiences.  It also acquainted a whole new generation of Americans with the talented Vera Lynn, whose "We'll Meet Again" was featured over the ending credits of the film.

Born the daughter of a London area plumber in March of 1917, Vera Lynn's first record was pressed in 1936, followed in 1937 by two hit recordings: "Red Sails in the Sunset" and  "The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot." Little could Vera Lynn have known they would help launch a performance career that spanned more than 80 years!

Of course, Vera Lynn is best known in her native England, where she has remained throughout her life – apart from trips abroad for performances or vacation.

Lynn is something of a national treasure in Great Britain.  She has been awarded the War Medal (1939-1945), the Burma Star, and the Order of the British Empire, among numerous others.

Beyond her lifetime achievements as an entertainer, her charity work is impressive, from establishing the cerebral palsy  organization known as SOS (Stars Organization for Spastics) to the founding of the Vera Lynn Charity Breast Cancer Research Trust.  She was president of the Trust for Children with Cerebral Palsy and served as a patron of the Forces Literary Organization Worldwide. She is a patron of the Dover War Memorial and Project to Support Refugees from Burma and Help4Forgotten Allies.

Back 25 years ago, when she was a mere youngster at age 78, she helped celebrate the 50th Anniversary of V-E Day.  Below is a video excerpt of her astonishing performance at that 1995 event.  Enjoy.

And.....a belated 103rd Happy Birthday to a remarkable lady, Dame Vera Lynn!

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Note:  Some five weeks after we posted the above story, Vera Lynn died (18 June 2020) at her home in East Sussex at age 103.  Queen Elizabeth II sent private condolences to Lynn's family.  Prime Minister Boris Johnson and opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer led tributes in Parliament.  On the day she died, regular programming on the BBC was halted in order to broadcast tributes to this wonderful lady.  Rest in peace Dame Vera Lynn.