UKC

100 years old today.

An amazing lady with a beautiful voice and personality.

Her songs like "We'll Meet Again" and "There'll be Blue Birds over the The White Cliff of Dover" are timeless and very emotional capturing the mood of Britain in the dark days of the Second World War when many thousands of men were away fighting, many never to return.

I watched the program about her life on TV a couple of days ago, and whilst I knew that she had entertained the troops of the so called "Forgotten Army" in Burma, I hadn't realised that she had gone to Kohima close to the front line and within range of the Japanese guns.

The veterans taking part in the TV program were visibly moved as her songs were played.

In reply to Trangia:


Clearly prophetic of climate change.

In reply to Trangia:

It amazes me how time can fold, far from being a linear progression, to bring the past closer than it was decades ago.

At school I read Peter Elstob's intense autobiographical novel of tank warfare post D-Day, "Warriors for the Working Day" and that mentioned the wireless operator tuning the 'A' set to the Forces Programme where they heard Vera Lynn singing. To a young teenager that was ancient history, a time immemorial more than a decade before birth. Now I'm 60 and she's still around and still inspiring people. Marvellous, literally.

In reply to wercat:
WW2 produced some very powerful songs.

The other song much loved by both German and Allied troops was Marlene Dietrich's "Lili Marlene"

youtube.com/watch?v=Q56QzGcAKZc&

Vera Lynn also did an English Version

youtube.com/watch?v=ZSMuTm649Hk&

In reply to Trangia:


Indeed, but that aint the Dietrich version, that is by Lale Andersen - she did the first recorded version. The person that posted it up on youtube made a mistake.

This is the Dietrich version, much better I think - youtube.com/watch?v=4DkyOGDbEWA&

In reply to IM:
The first English version wasn't by Vera Lynn either, it was Anne Shelton.

To the OP: with it being her birthday and all perhaps you should be referring to her as Dame Vera Lynn.

In reply to Trangia:

Vera has some very strange fans

https://www.facebook.com/HawkwindHQ/photos/a.533933376619568.125437.1171370...

In reply to Trangia:

When I hear "We'll Meet Again" and "There'll be Blue Birds over the The White Cliff of Dover" the hairs on the back of my neck stick up. Especially "we'll meet again".

The songs transport me to a time long before I was born and puts me in the shoes of the soldiers and lovers who were waving goodbye to each other for the last time. Amazingly poignant after so many decades.

We are getting close to the end of living reminders of a war that killed over 60 million people.

In reply to estivoautumnal:


I was with my mother tonight who is in a care home with Dementia, my wife and the grandchildren visited yesterday, and remarked on how confused , and forgetful she was, (not remembering even that she was ever married. )

On the TV came the Dame Vera birthday clip, and as soon as the music came on, she perked up, sang along word for word, and then regaled me with stories of nights in Anderson Shelters and the like.
( Poor old dad was still forgotton though, maybe I need to find a song that will remind her of him

In reply to Jim C:
My brother copied youtube videos from old film musicals to his laptop - give that a go?

My mother knows the lyrics and belts them out even though she's forgotten much of her adult life.

In reply to Jim C:

Exactly the same as you, Jim, with my mum who died last year from dementia. "We'll meet again" was one of the songs she could still sing along to, and dance gently to. Along with "Run rabbit, run" which was her favourite and that we played at her funeral.

Off topic - but sorry to hear about your mum, similar experiences here - including having completely forgotten having been married and had kids.

In reply to Trangia:

Makes me think of the Pink Floyd song 'Vera'

"Does anybody here remember Vera Lynn?
Remember how she said that
We would meet again
Some sunny day?
Vera! Vera!
What has become of you?
Does anybody else here
Feel the way I do?"

I then go on to an earlier track from the same album which I believe draws directly on Roger Water's dad being killed in the war when Roger was still a baby.

"Daddy's gone, across the ocean
Leaving just a memory
A snapshot in the family album
Daddy what else did you leave for me?"

Thoughts of how the very same thing happened to my dad follow.

RIP folks. Thank you.