Tributes paid to Dame Vera Lynn at thanksgiving service at Westminster Abbey

Tributes have been paid to Dame Vera Lynn at a thanksgiving service held to celebrate her life at Westminster Abbey.

Dame Vera - known as the “Forces’ Sweetheart” - captured the hearts of the nation during the Second World War with her uplifting musical performances and songs.

The service on Monday was held to celebrate her career as a singer and entertainer following her death in June 2020, at the age of 103.

House of Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle and veteran BBC broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby were among those in attendance, and Katie Ashby and and the D-Day Darlings performed The White Cliffs of Dover.

The service was led by the Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, who said: “Vera Lynn gave voice to the hopes and fears of a generation that lived through the trauma of war.

“The Abbey is proud to honour a woman who honoured others and to remember someone who was herself faithful to precious memories.”

Dame Vera’s most popular songs captured the spirit of Britain during wartime and included We’ll Meet Again, The White Cliffs Of Dover and A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square.

The star’s successful career continued long after the war, with her cover of the song My Son, My Son reaching number one on the UK single charts in 1954.

Dame Vera also became heavily involved with charity work later in her life. In particular, she campaigned for the Burma Star Association – a British veterans’ association for ex-servicemen and women who served in the Burma Campaign during the Second World War.

She was made a Dame in 1975 and a Companion of Honour in 2016.