She travelled thousands of miles to the frontlines, from Egypt to India and Myanmar, to entertain British troops with a string of classics such as We’ll Meet Again and The White Cliffs of Dover.
A performer from the age of seven, Lynn also starred in films, enjoyed a number of post-war hits and was made a Dame of the British Empire in 1976.
Her place in Britain’s social history can not be overstated.
She was the subject of a Pink Floyd tribute Vera, and sang over the end credits of the 1964 comedy war film Dr Strangelove. When she turned 100, her portrait was projected onto the famed White Cliffs of Dover.
Lynn released a new album — becoming the first centenarian to do so — and Queen Elizabeth II referenced her in a speech urging Britons to summon up the war-time spirit during the coronavirus lockdown.
“Dame Vera Lynn’s charm and magical voice entranced and uplifted our country in some of our darkest hours,” Johnson said on Twitter. “Her voice will live on to lift the hearts of generations to come.”
The Royal British Legion, a charity providing support to veterans, called Lynn “an unforgettable British icon” and “symbol of hope to the Armed Forces community past and present”.
London’s Evening Standard newspaper announced her death on the front page. “Farewell To Our Wartime Sweetheart”, it said.
The BBC broadcast a special tribute yesterday evening.
Her family called Lynn, who lived in East Sussex, England, “one of Britain’s best-loved entertainers”, saying she died yesterday morning surrounded by her close relatives.
Born in London’s East End in 1917, Lynn became a household name during the war years.
She hosted a BBC radio programme, “Sincerely Yours”, appeared in a forces stage revue and made three war-time films as well as touring.
Post-war highlights included being the first British performer to have a US number one with Auf Wiedersehen, Sweetheart, her most successful record, in 1952.
As Lynn’s career waned she remained a beloved figure at celebrations to mark the anniversaries of the June 6, 1944 D-Day landings in France, as well as of VE Day commemorating the end of war in Europe on May 8, 1945.
Her death comes just weeks after Britons joined in a national rendition of We’ll Meet Again from their doorsteps as a morale boost during the coronavirus lockdown.
WWII veteran Captain Tom Moore, 100, who has shot to fame during the crisis after raising huge sums for health service charities by doing laps of his garden, called the news of her death “a real shame”.
“She had a huge impact on me in Burma (Myanmar) and remained important to me throughout my life,” he said, adding that his thoughts were with her family.