Dame Vera Lynn’s funeral will be marked with a Battle of Britain flypast this afternoon, honouring her title as the “Forces’ Sweetheart”.
The singer, who was beloved by the military up and down the UK thanks to her stunning vocals, died aged 103 on June 18.
At midday today in her home village of Ditchling, Sussex, her funeral cortege will pass, with a Spitfire and a Hurricane soaring through the skies above.
Speaking about the military tribute at the funeral, her longtime friend and assistant Susan Fleet said the singer would be “incredibly humbled”.
She told Sky News: “She would be incredibly humbled because she was the most humble person you would meet.
“She would feel very special, very loved, as she deserves to be.”
A private funeral service for Dame Vera will take place on July 10 (Image: PA)
After passing through Sussex, the funeral will continue to Woodvale Crematorium in Brighton, where a private family ceremony will take place.
There, a military bearer party will receive the coffin and a Royal Marines bugler will perform an instrumental musical number inside the chapel.
A full memorial service, open to members of the public, is expected to be held at a later date.
Vera will be fondly remembered for her generous contributions to charity over the years (Image: PA)
During World War II, the London-born singer rose to fame with songs such as We’ll Meet Again and (There’ll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover.
Starting her career at the tender age of 15, Vera travelled Europe and Africa during the war, performing for troops as part of the Entertainments National Service Association.
Once the war ended, her music career continued to thrive, as she doted upon by servicemen who remembered how she’d boost their morale on the battlefields.
She was known as the ‘Forces Sweetheart’, wowing the military with her stunning vocals (Image: Getty Images)
The late Dame released her final single, I Love This Land, during the Falklands War in 1982.
More recently, in 2009, Vera became the oldest living artist to top the Brit music charts with a compilation album of her landmark tracks.
During the lockdown, the song We’ll Meet Again was echoed by the Queen in a television address about the coronavirus pandemic.
Honouring the 75th anniversary of VE Day in May, she joined Katherine Jenkins for a virtual duet, in the Dame’s triumphant final performance.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
