1. Overview
Dame Vera Margaret Lynn (born Vera Margaret Welch; 1917-2020) was an English singer, songwriter, and actress whose musical recordings and performances were profoundly popular during World War II. She earned the honorary title "The Forces' Sweetheart" for her outdoor concerts for British troops stationed in war zones like Egypt, India, and Burma as part of the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA). Her most iconic songs include "We'll Meet Again", "(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover", "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square", and "There'll Always Be an England". These songs became emblematic symbols of hope and resilience during the war, especially "We'll Meet Again", which was widely adopted as an anthem for separation and reunion.
Lynn's popularity continued after the war, with appearances on radio and television in both the United Kingdom and the United States. She achieved hits such as "Auf Wiederseh'n, Sweetheart", which became the first record by a British performer to top the charts in the U.S., and her UK number-one single "My Son, My Son". Her final single, "I Love This Land", was released to commemorate the end of the Falklands War. In 2009, at the age of 92, she made history as the oldest living artist to top the UK Albums Chart with her compilation album We'll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn. She further broke records in 2017 with Vera Lynn 100, a centenary compilation that reached No. 3, making her the first centenarian performer to have a Top 10 album. By her death in 2020, Lynn had been active in the music industry for 96 years.
Beyond her musical career, Lynn dedicated extensive time and energy to charity work, particularly supporting ex-servicemen, children with cerebral palsy, and breast cancer patients. Revered by Second World War veterans, she was recognized in 2000 as the Briton who best embodied the spirit of the 20th century, cementing her enduring social influence and dedication to philanthropy.
2. Early Life
Vera Margaret Welch was born in East Ham, Essex, then part of Newham, England, on 20 March 1917. She was the daughter of Bertram Samuel Welch (1883-1955), a plumber, and Anne "Annie" Martin (1889-1975), a dressmaker, who married in 1913.
2.1. Childhood and Education
In 1919, at the age of two, Lynn contracted diphtheritic croup and nearly died. She spent three months in an isolation unit before being discharged. As a result of this hospitalization, her mother became very protective, restricting her from visiting friends or playing in the street for a long time. Lynn later recalled that her mother was less strict with her elder brother, Roger. Despite her mother's protectiveness, she was also determined to put Lynn on stage, a path Lynn did not resist.
2.2. Early Career
Lynn began performing publicly at the age of seven. When she was eleven, she adopted "Lynn"-her maternal grandmother Margaret's maiden name-as her stage name. At the age of 11, she joined a juvenile troupe known as Madame Harris's Kracker Kabaret Kids. In early 1933, Howard Baker discovered her and invited her to join his band. She then briefly toured with Billy Cotton's band in 1934 before returning to Howard Baker.
With Baker's band, she made her first recording, "It's Home", on 17 February 1935. Her first radio broadcast was on 21 August 1935, with the Joe Loss Orchestra. During this period, she appeared on records released by dance bands, including those of Loss and Charlie Kunz. In 1936, her first solo record, "Up the Wooden Hill to Bedfordshire", was released on the Crown label. This label was later acquired by Decca Records in 1938. She supported herself by working as an administrative assistant for the head of a shipping management company in London's East End. After a brief period with Loss, she remained with Kunz for about a year, during which she recorded several standard musical pieces. In 1937, she joined the band of prominent bandleader Bert Ambrose and stayed with them until 1940, when she embarked on her solo career.
Lynn was one of the few artists who performed shows to help bring Jewish refugee children to Britain before the war. She sang with Ambrose's band and participated in charity shows to raise funds for their escape from Germany.
3. Musical Career
Dame Vera Lynn's musical career spanned nearly a century, evolving from early public performances to becoming a national icon during and after World War II, and continuing with chart-topping success into her later years.
3.1. Early Recordings and Pre-War Activities
Vera Lynn's solo recording debut was on 3 October 1935, with the song "The General's Fast Asleep", accompanied by the Rhythm Rascals (a pseudonym for Jay Wilbur's orchestra). This 9-inch 78 rpm single was issued on the Crown Records label, which released a total of eight singles by Vera Lynn and Charles Smart on organ. Her early recordings also included "I'm in the Mood for Love" and "Red Sails in the Sunset".
In 1938, the Decca label took control of the British Crown label and the UK-based Rex label, which had also issued early Lynn singles in 1937, including "Harbour Lights". In late September 1939, Lynn first recorded "We'll Meet Again", a song that would become her signature. It was originally recorded with Arthur Young on the Novachord.
3.2. Wartime Contribution ("The Forces' Sweetheart")
Lynn's significant wartime contributions began with her singing for people sheltering in London's tube station platforms during air raids, driving herself there in her Austin 10 car. From 1937 to 1940, she also toured with Bert Ambrose's band, the Ambrose Octet, appearing in broadcasts for the BBC and Radio Luxembourg. She left Ambrose in 1940.
During the Phoney War, the Daily Express newspaper conducted a poll among British servicemen to identify their favorite musical performers, and Vera Lynn emerged as the top choice, earning her the enduring nickname "the Forces' Sweetheart". On 1 July 1940, Lynn made her debut as a "fully fledged solo act" at the New Hippodrome in Coventry.
Vera Lynn appeared in the revue Applesauce! alongside Max Miller, which ran from 22 August to 9 September 1940, at the Holborn Empire until a bomb destroyed the theatre. The revue resumed at the London Palladium from 5 March to 29 November 1941. Lynn temporarily left the show in July 1941 for an appendectomy.
She is most famously known for the popular song "We'll Meet Again", written by Ross Parker and Hughie Charles. She initially recorded it in 1939 and again in 1953, accompanied by servicemen from the British Armed Forces. The song's nostalgic lyrics were immensely popular during the war, making it one of its most emblematic hits, offering comfort and hope to those separated by conflict. Another well-known wartime hit was "The White Cliffs of Dover", with lyrics by Nat Burton and music by Walter Kent.
Her continued popularity was bolstered by her weekly 30-minute radio program, Sincerely Yours, which premiered at 9:30 p.m. on 9 November 1941. The show featured messages to British troops serving abroad and was described as "to the men of the forces - a letter in words and Music". Accompanied by Fred Hartley and his music, Lynn and her quartet performed songs most requested by soldiers. Lynn also visited hospitals to interview new mothers and send personal messages to their husbands overseas. However, following the fall of Singapore in February 1942, the program was suspended after the 22 March 1942 broadcast for 18 months. This suspension was due to concerns that the sentimental nature of her songs might undermine the "virile" image of British soldiers, prompting the promotion of "more traditionally martial classical music" instead. Lynn returned with a regular show, "It's Time for Vera Lynn", on the BBC's Forces program on 31 October 1943, accompanied by Peter Yorke and His Orchestra. This 20-minute show aired on Sunday nights at 8 p.m.
During the war, she joined the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA) and toured Egypt, India, and Burma, giving outdoor concerts for British troops. In March 1944, she travelled to Shamshernagar airfield in Bengal to entertain troops before the Battle of Kohima. Her host and lifelong friend, Captain Bernard Holden, commended her courage and contribution to morale. In 1985, she received the Burma Star for entertaining British guerrilla units in Japanese-occupied Burma.
Between 1942 and 1944, Lynn starred in three films with wartime themes. In 1943, she appeared in We'll Meet Again, a film based on her own life story about a dancer who becomes a radio star. She went on to make two more films during the war: Rhythm Serenade (1943) and One Exciting Night (1944), also known as You Can't Do Without Love. In Rhythm Serenade, she played a school teacher who, after her school closes, attempts to enlist but is instead persuaded to organize a nursery for a munitions factory. One Exciting Night was a dramatic musical comedy where she helped thwart a gang of art thieves.
3.3. Post-War Success
Lynn's only child, Virginia Penelope Ann Lewis, was born on 10 March 1946. After the war, Lynn initially intended to focus on her role as a mother and wife. However, due to an unfulfilled contract with Decca Records and financial pressures, she was drawn back into show business in 1947. She launched a new radio show, Vera Lynn Sings, on the BBC's Light Programme on 16 February 1947. This program aired on Sunday evenings from 9:30-10:00 p.m., with Robert Farnon providing musical accompaniment. Her husband, Harry Lewis, became her manager before 1950, after leaving his own career. Her record label, Decca, strategically promoted her records in the U.S. during the musicians' strike of 1948, leading to her U.S. Top Ten hit with "You Can't Be True, Dear". In 1949, the BBC cancelled her radio show, claiming there was no demand for her "sob stuff" and seeking a more lively style of music. Consequently, she produced shows for Radio Luxembourg instead.
Lynn continued to tour and record, and in 1952, her British recording of a German song, "Auf Wiederseh'n, Sweetheart", became her best-selling record. It notably became the first record by a British performer to reach number one on the charts in the United States, holding the top position for nine weeks. In Britain, the song was the best-selling record of the year. She also appeared regularly for a period on Tallulah Bankhead's U.S. radio program The Big Show. "Auf Wiederseh'n, Sweetheart", along with "The Homing Waltz" and "Forget-Me-Not", secured Lynn three entries on the inaugural UK Singles Chart in November 1952.
Vera Lynn was part of the London Laughs revue at the Adelphi Theatre, London, from 12 April 1952 to 6 February 1954, alongside Tony Hancock and Jimmy Edwards. Her popularity persisted throughout the 1950s, peaking with "My Son, My Son", which became a number-one hit in 1954. The song was written by Gordon Melville Rees, Bob Howard, and Eddie Calvert. It also reached No. 28 on Billboard magazine's singles charts in the USA.
In 1956, Lynn commenced her first television series for Associated-Rediffusion. In the same year, she signed an exclusive two-year contract with the BBC for both radio and television work.
3.4. Later Recording Career
In 1960, after nearly 25 years with Decca Records, Lynn signed with the U.S.-based MGM Records. In the UK, her recordings were distributed by the His Master's Voice label, later part of EMI Records. She recorded several albums and stand-alone singles with Geoff Love and His Orchestra. Norman Newell took over as Lynn's producer during this period and continued until her 1976 album Christmas with Vera Lynn. While recording at EMI Records until 1977, Lynn released thirteen albums featuring diverse material, including traditional hymns, pop, and country songs. She also re-recorded many of her well-known songs from the 1940s for albums such as Hits of the Blitz (1962), More Hits of the Blitz, and Vera Lynn Remembers - The World at War (1974). In the 1980s, she recorded two albums of contemporary pop songs for the Pye Records label, which included covers of tracks previously recorded by artists like ABBA and Barry Manilow.
In 1982, Lynn released the stand-alone single "I Love This Land", composed by André Previn, to commemorate the conclusion of the Falklands War. Lynn's final recordings before her retirement were distributed in 1991 through the News of the World newspaper, with proceeds benefiting the Gulf Trust.
3.5. Television and Other Appearances
Vera Lynn hosted her own variety series on BBC1 during the late 1960s and early 1970s. She was also a frequent guest on other variety shows, including the 1972 Morecambe & Wise Christmas Show. In 1972, she was a key performer in the BBC anniversary program Fifty Years of Music. In 1976, she hosted the BBC's A Jubilee of Music, celebrating pop music hits from 1952 to 1976 to mark the start of Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee year. For ITV, she presented a 1977 TV special to promote her album Vera Lynn in Nashville, which featured 1960s pop and country songs.
Lynn made seven appearances at the Royal Variety Performance: in 1951, 1952, 1957, 1960, 1975, 1986, and 1990. She was also interviewed for The World at War series in 1974 about her role in entertaining troops in the India-Burma Theatre. Lynn holds the distinction of being the only artist to have a chart span on the British single and album charts extending from the charts' inception in 1952 to the 21st century. She had three singles on the very first singles chart, compiled by New Musical Express, and later achieved a No. 1 album with We'll Meet Again - The Very Best of Vera Lynn.
4. Public Service and Charity Work
Lynn dedicated a significant portion of her life to various philanthropic endeavors, primarily supporting ex-servicemen, children with cerebral palsy, and breast cancer patients.
In 1953, Lynn established the cerebral palsy charity SOS (The Stars Organisation for Spastics) and served as its chairperson. The Vera Lynn Charity Breast Cancer Research Trust was founded in 1976, with Lynn as its chairperson and later its president.
In August 1985, she performed on stage at Crystal Palace Bowl, alongside artists like Hawkwind and Doctor and the Medics, for the finale of a benefit concert organized for Pete Townshend's Double-O anti-heroin charity.
In 2002, Lynn became president of The Dame Vera Lynn Trust for Children with Cerebral Palsy, a cerebral palsy charity, and hosted a celebrity concert on its behalf at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. In 2008, Lynn became a patron of the charitable Forces Literary Organisation Worldwide for ALL.
She became the patron of the Dover War Memorial Project in 2010. In the same year, she became a patron of the British charity Projects to Support Refugees from Burma/Help 4 Forgotten Allies. In 2013, she joined a PETA campaign against pigeon racing, asserting that the sport is "utterly cruel". In 2024, when PETA purchased three of King Charles III's racing pigeons at auction, they renamed one 'Vera' in honor of Lynn's campaigning efforts.
5. Later Life and Public Engagement
Lynn maintained a public presence and continued to engage with national events well into her later years, achieving remarkable chart success in her nineties and beyond.
In 1995, Lynn sang outside Buckingham Palace in a ceremony commemorating the golden jubilee of VE Day. This was followed by another public concert in Hyde Park on the same evening.
The United Kingdom's VE Day ceremonies in 2005 featured a concert in Trafalgar Square, London, where Lynn made a surprise appearance. She delivered a speech praising veterans and urging younger generations to remember their sacrifices, and she joined in for a few bars of "We'll Meet Again". This marked Lynn's final vocal performance at a VE Day anniversary event. Following that year's Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance, Lynn encouraged the Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins to assume the mantle of "Forces' Sweetheart". In her speech, Lynn stated: "These boys gave their lives and some came home badly injured, and for some families life would never be the same. We should always remember, we should never forget, and we should teach the children to remember."
In September 2008, Lynn helped launch "The Times of My Life", a new social history recording website, at the Cabinet War Rooms in London. Lynn published her autobiography, Some Sunny Day, in 2009. She had previously authored two memoirs: Vocal Refrain (1975) and We'll Meet Again (1989).
In February 2009, it was reported that Lynn was taking legal action against the British National Party (BNP) for using "The White Cliffs of Dover" on an anti-immigration album without her authorization. Her lawyer contended that the album seemed to associate Lynn, who remained politically neutral, with the party's views.
In September 2009, at 92 years old, Lynn became the oldest living artist to reach number one on the British album chart. Her compilation album, We'll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn, debuted at number 20 on 30 August, then climbed to No. 2 the following week before seizing the top position, outselling both the Arctic Monkeys and The Beatles. This achievement allowed her to surpass Bob Dylan as the oldest artist to have a number-one album in the UK.
In August 2014, Lynn was among 200 public figures who signed an open letter to The Guardian newspaper opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to the September referendum. In May 2015, although unable to attend VE Day 70: A Party to Remember in London, she was interviewed at her home by the Daily Mirror.
Three days before her 100th birthday, on 17 March 2017, a new LP titled Vera Lynn 100 was released through Decca Records. The album featured Lynn's original vocals set to newly re-orchestrated versions of her songs and included several duet partners such as Alfie Boe, Alexander Armstrong, Aled Jones, and the RAF Squadronaires. Parlophone, which holds Lynn's later recordings from the 1960s and 1970s, released Her Greatest from Abbey Road on 10 March 2017, a collection of her songs recorded at Abbey Road Studios, featuring five previously unreleased original recordings. By October 2017, she was the UK's best-selling female artist of the year, having sold more albums than contemporary artists like Dua Lipa and Lana Del Rey.
Lynn received two nominations at the 2018 Classic Brit Awards for Female Artist of the Year and Album of the Year, and was also honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
In January 2020, a new painted portrait of Lynn was presented by The London Mint Office to the Royal Albert Hall in connection with the 75th anniversary of the 1945 peace. The portrait, painted by Ross Kolby, was unveiled by Lynn's daughter Virginia Lewis-Jones and Britain's Got Talent winner Colin Thackery. The painting is permanently displayed at the Royal Albert Hall, where Lynn performed 52 times between 1937 and 2006. At the unveiling, a documentary film, "Dame Vera Lynn - The Voice of a Nation", premiered, recounting her story as the "Forces' Sweetheart" and the creation of Kolby's portrait.
On 5 April 2020, Queen Elizabeth II referenced Lynn's song "We'll Meet Again" in a televised address to the nation addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, stating, "We will meet again." For the 75th anniversary of VE Day, Lynn and Katherine Jenkins performed a virtual duet (with Jenkins singing alongside a hologram) at the Royal Albert Hall, which was empty due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In June 2021, a wildflower meadow on the White Cliffs of Dover was named in honor of Lynn.
6. Personal Life
During World War II, Lynn resided with her parents in a house she purchased in 1938 at 24 Upney Lane, Barking. In 1941, Lynn married Harry Lewis, a clarinetist and saxophonist who was also a member of Ambrose's orchestra, whom she had met two years prior. They rented another house on Upney Lane, close to her parents' home. Lewis transitioned from his own career to become Lynn's manager before 1950.
After the Second World War, Lynn and Lewis relocated to Finchley, north London. From the early 1960s onwards, the couple lived in Ditchling, East Sussex, residing next door to their daughter. The couple had one child, Virginia Lewis (now Lewis-Jones), born in March 1946. Lynn stated that she had only one child to enable her to continue her work, which she felt would not have been possible with more children. Harry Lewis died in 1998.
7. Death and Legacy
7.1. Death
Vera Lynn died from pneumonia at Princess Royal Hospital, Haywards Heath, in East Sussex, on 18 June 2020, at the age of 103. The BBC suspended its regular programming to broadcast a special tribute to her on the day of her death.
7.2. Tributes and Funeral
Tributes to Lynn were led by the British Royal Family, with Queen Elizabeth II sending private condolences to Lynn's family. Clarence House issued tributes from the then Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall. Then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Leader of the Opposition Sir Keir Starmer also led tributes in Parliament. Musicians like Sir Paul McCartney and Katherine Jenkins, and public figures such as Captain Tom Moore, spoke about her profound impact. The Band of the Coldstream Guards convened on the same day to perform her song "We'll Meet Again".
Lynn was accorded a military funeral, held on 10 July 2020 in East Sussex. The procession traveled from her home in Ditchling to the Woodvale Crematorium in Brighton, observed by a large public turnout. Ditchling was adorned with poppies, a symbol of military remembrance. Prior to the funeral, images of Lynn were projected onto the White Cliffs of Dover as "We'll Meet Again" was played across the English Channel. Her cortege was escorted by members of the Royal Air Force, the British Army, the Royal Navy, and The Royal British Legion. A Battle of Britain Spitfire flypast followed the cortege, passing over Ditchling three times (10 July 2020 marked the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain's commencement). Her coffin was draped in a Union Flag with a wreath. At the family service in the Woodvale Crematorium chapel, she was serenaded by a Royal Marine bugler. Her family announced that a public memorial service would be organized at a future date. A thanksgiving service for Lynn was subsequently held at Westminster Abbey on 21 March 2022.
7.3. Memorials and Lasting Impact
Following Lynn's death, Katherine Jenkins initiated a campaign to erect a statue of her near the White Cliffs of Dover, referencing her signature song "(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover". Jenkins and Lynn's family established the Dame Vera Lynn Memorial Trust and selected sculptor Paul Day to design the memorial. In July 2022, the Dover District Council announced that Lynn's family had decided against the Dover location, deeming it "insufficient" to honor her legacy. The memorial project then evolved into The Forces' Sweetheart And Wartime Entertainers' Memorial, intended to honor Lynn and "all those unsung heroes who entertain in times of conflict." This memorial is planned for the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
8. Honours and Awards
Dame Vera Lynn received numerous official recognitions, titles, and awards throughout her life, acknowledging her contributions to entertainment and charity.
In 1976, Lynn was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws from the Memorial University of Newfoundland. She received the Honorary Freedom of the City of London in 1978. In 2000, she received a "Spirit of the 20th Century" Award in a nationwide poll, capturing 21% of the vote. A street named in her honor, Vera Lynn Close, is located in Forest Gate, London. The University of London awarded her the honorary degree of Master of Music (M.Mus.) in 1992.
She was the subject of This Is Your Life on two occasions: in October 1957, when she was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at the BBC Television Theatre, and again in December 1978, for an episode broadcast on 1 January 1979, when Andrews surprised her at the Café Royal in London.
In 2018, Lynn received the Outstanding Contribution to Music award at the Classic Brit Awards. In January 2019, The London Mint Office commissioned acclaimed Norwegian artist Ross Kolby to paint a portrait of Dame Vera. The painting was unveiled on 13 January 2020 and is displayed at the Royal Albert Hall in London, where Dame Vera performed on 52 occasions.
8.1. British Honours
Lynn received several significant honors from the British government:
- War Medal 1939-1945
- Burma Star (1985)
- Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
- Officer (OBE), appointed in the 1969 New Year Honours for services to the Royal Air Forces Association and other charities.
- Dame Commander (DBE), appointed in the 1975 Birthday Honours for charitable services.
- Officer of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (1997)
- Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH), appointed in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to entertainment and charity.
8.2. Foreign Honours
- Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau, The Netherlands (1977)
8.3. Other Recognitions
- Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the Memorial University of Newfoundland (1976)
- Honorary Freedom of the City of London (1978)
- "Spirit of the 20th Century" Award (2000)
- Honorary Master of Music (M.Mus.) from the University of London (1992)
- Classic Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music (2018)
9. Cultural Impact and References
Vera Lynn's music and image have had a lasting influence on popular culture, appearing in films, music, and other media.
Lynn's visit to the Burma front during the Second World War was featured in the 1974 British television documentary series The World at War, narrated by Laurence Olivier. A short interview with Lynn, made for the documentary, is included in Episode 14, "It's A Lovely Day Tomorrow: Burma 1942-1944," showing her interacting with and signing autographs for British soldiers.
Stanley Kubrick's 1964 black comedy film about the triggering of World War III and nuclear annihilation, Dr. Strangelove, concludes with several minutes of nuclear explosions accompanied by the 1953 version of "We'll Meet Again" featuring Vera Lynn and an armed services chorus.
On their 1979 album The Wall, Pink Floyd released a song titled "Vera", which directly references Vera Lynn and "We'll Meet Again" with the lyrics: "Does anybody here remember Vera Lynn? / Remember how she said that / We would meet again / Some sunny day?". "We'll Meet Again" was also used as an intro to the live performances of The Wall in 1980 and 1981, as heard on Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live 1980-81. The 1982 film Pink Floyd - The Wall opens with "The Little Boy that Santa Claus Forgot" performed by Lynn.
On Gary Numan's 1982 album I, Assassin, the song "War Songs" includes the chorus: "Old men love war songs / Love Vera Lynn / Old men love war songs / Now I'm Vera Lynn".
The flash animation internet series Salad Fingers by David Firth features "We'll Meet Again" at the end of its seventh episode, "Shore Leave".
In the 2017 film Kong: Skull Island, Vera Lynn's song "We'll Meet Again" is featured as the mission's survivors depart Skull Island.
A preserved example of the WD Austerity 2-10-0 class of steam locomotives at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway is named Dame Vera Lynn. One of two new boats for the Woolwich Ferry service, delivered via Tilbury in autumn 2018, was named Dame Vera Lynn in her honor.
Anthony Green released a song titled "Vera Lynn" on his 2018 album Would You Still Be in Love, which referenced her songs "We'll Meet Again" and "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square". The song "We'll Meet Again" was also featured during the end credits of the final episode of the 2019 television series Good Omens.
The Polish-British duo Smolik & Kev Fox recorded a song titled "Vera Lynn" on their 2015 album, which references the London Blitz and Vera Lynn.
10. Works
10.1. Discography
Lynn's extensive discography includes numerous studio and compilation albums, as well as charted singles that spanned decades.
10.1.1. Studio Albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | |||||
| Sincerely Yours |
>- | ||||
| Vera Lynn Concert |
>- | ||||
| If I Am Dreaming |
>- | ||||
| The Wonderful World of Nursery Rhymes |
>- | ||||
| Vera Lynn Sings...Songs of the Tuneful Twenties |
>- | ||||
| Sing With Vera |
>- | ||||
| Yours |
>- | ||||
| As Time Goes By |
>- | ||||
| Hits of the Blitz |
>- | ||||
| The Wonderful Vera Lynn |
>- | ||||
| Among My Souvenirs |
>- | ||||
| More Hits of the Blitz |
>- | ||||
| Hits of the 60's - My Way |
>- | ||||
| Unforgettable Songs by Vera Lynn |
>- | ||||
| Favourite Sacred Songs |
>- | ||||
| Vera Lynn Remembers - The World at War |
>- | ||||
| Christmas with Vera Lynn |
>- | ||||
| Vera Lynn in Nashville |
>- | ||||
| Thank You For the Music (I Sing The Songs) |
>- | ||||
| Singing To the World |
>- | ||||
| 20 Family Favourites |
>25 |
>- | Vera Lynn Remembers |
>- | |
| We'll Meet Again |
>44 | ||||
| Unforgettable |
>61 |
10.1.2. Compilation Albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | IRE | EU | DUT | NOR | NZ | DEN | BEL | AUS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hits of the War Years |
>- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 32 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| We'll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn |
>1 | 48 | 8 | 83 | 18 | 8 | 28 | 10 | 21 |
>- | National Treasure - Ultimate Collection |
>13 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Her Greatest from Abbey Road |
>45 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vera Lynn 100 |
>3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
>} | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | US | US A/C | US Cashbox | ||
| 1948 | "You Can't Be True, Dear" | - | 9 | - | - |
| 1949 | "Again" | - | 23 | - | - |
| 1952 | "Auf Wiederseh'n, Sweetheart" | 10 | 1 | - | 1 |
| "Forget-Me-Not" | 5 | - | - | - | |
| "The Homing Waltz" | 9 | - | - | - | |
| "Yours (Quiéreme Mucho)" | - | 7 | - | 10 | |
| 1953 | "The Windsor Waltz" | 11 | - | - | - |
| 1954 | "We'll Meet Again" | 55 | 29 | - | - |
| "If You Love Me (Really Love Me)" | - | 21 | - | 5 | |
| "My Son, My Son" | 1 | 28 | - | 22 | |
| 1956 | "Who Are We" | 30 | - | - | - |
| "Such a Day" | - | 96 | - | 45 | |
| "A House with Love in It" | 17 | - | - | - | |
| 1957 | "The Faithful Hussar (Don't Cry My Love)" | 29 | 55 | - | 40 |
| "Travellin' Home" | 20 | - | - | - | |
| 1967 | "It Hurts to Say Goodbye" | - | - | 7 | - |
| 2014 | "We'll Meet Again" (duet with Katherine Jenkins) | 72 | - | - | - |
| 2020 | "Land of Hope and Glory" | 17 | - | - | - |
10.2. Filmography
| Film | Year | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| You Can't Do Without Love | 1938 | ||
| We'll Meet Again | 1942 | Peggy Brown | |
| Rhythm Serenade | 1943 | Ann Martin | |
| One Exciting Night | 1944 | Vera Baker | also known as You Can't Do Without Love |
| Venus fra Vestø | 1962 | ||
| A Gift for Love | 1963 | music performance | |
| Meet Again | 2014 |
10.3. Publications
- Lynn, Vera (1975). Vocal Refrain. London: W. H. Allen
- Lynn, Vera and Cross, Robin (1989). We'll Meet Again. London: Sidgwick & Jackson
- Lynn, Vera (2009). Some Sunny Day. London: HarperCollins.