Dame Vera Lynn

Dame Vera Lynn CH DBE OStJ
Lynn at the War and Peace Show, July 2009
Background information
Birth name	Vera Margaret Welch
Born	(1917-03-20) 20 March 1917 (age 99) East Ham, Essex, England
Genres	Traditional pop
Years active	1935–present
Labels	UK Decca/London, HMV

Dame Vera Margaret Lynn CH DBE OStJ (née Welch; born 20 March 1917), widely known as "the Forces' Sweetheart", is an English singer, songwriter and actress. Her musical recordings and performances were enormously popular during the Second World War.

During the war she toured Egypt, India, and Burma as part of ENSA, giving outdoor concerts for the troops. 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 UK and the US 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 age 92, she became the oldest living artist to top the UK Albums Chart.

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