For Cathy
A video honoring a Canadian WW2 veteran.
Dame Vera Lynn DBE (born 20 March 1917) is a popular British vocalist whose career flourished during World War II, when she was nicknamed “The Forces’ Sweetheart”. Among her numerous popular songs are: “We’ll Meet Again”; and “The White Cliffs of Dover”. She was considered one of the major entertainers during World War II.
Lynn married clarinetist and saxophonist Harry Lewis in 1939, the year World War II broke out. In 1940 she began her own radio series, “Sincerely Yours”, sending messages to British troops stationed abroad. In this radio show she and a quartet performed the songs most requested of her by soldiers stationed abroad. She also went into hospitals to interview new mothers and send messages to their husbands overseas. She toured Egypt, India, Burma and gave outdoor concerts for soldiers. In 1942 she recorded the Ross Parker/Hughie Charles song “We’ll Meet Again” while making the film of the same name. The nostalgic lyrics (”We’ll meet again, don’t know where, don’t know when, but I know we’ll meet again some sunny day”) had a great appeal to the many people separated from loved ones during the war, and it became one of the emblematic songs of the wartime period.
After the war, her “Auf Wiedersehn Sweetheart” became the first record by a British artist to top the US charts, doing so for nine weeks, and she appeared regularly on Tallulah Bankhead’s US radio programme “The Big Show”. “Auf Wiedersehn Sweetheart”, along with “The Homing Waltz” and “Forget-Me-Not” gave Lynn a remarkable three entries on the first UK Singles Chart, a top 12 (which contained 15 songs owing to tied positions).
Lynn’s career flourished in the 1950s, peaking with “My Son, My Son”, a number-one hit in 1954. Lynn (who had one daughter) co-wrote the song with Eddie Calvert. In early 1960, Lynn left Decca Records, with whom she had been for nearly 25 years, and joined EMI. There, she recorded for EMI’s Columbia, MGM and HMV labels.
Lynn was appointed an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 1969 and a DBE (Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 1975. In 1976 a charity dedicated to funding breast cancer research was founded, Lynn being its chair and later its president [1]. She sang outside Buckingham Palace in 1995 in a ceremony marking the Golden Jubilee of VE Day. Lynn, then 78, decided to go out on a high as this is her last known public performance. In 2002 at the age of 85 she became the president of the cerebral palsy charity SOS and hosted a celebrity concert on their behalf at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London.
The United Kingdom’s VE Day ceremonies in 2005 included a concert in Trafalgar Square in which Vera Lynn made a surprise appearance. She made a speech praising the veterans and calling upon the younger generations always to remember their sacrifice and joined in with a bar or two of We’ll Meet Again.
In her speech she said, “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.”
Édith Piaf (December 19, 1915–October 11, 1963) was one of France’s most beloved singers[1] and became a national icon. Her singing reflected her tragic life, with her specialty being the poignant ballad performed in a heartbreaking voice. Among her famous songs are “La vie en rose” (1946), “Hymne à l’amour” (1949), “Milord” (1959), “Non, je ne regrette rien” (1960). A filmed biography on her life, titled La Môme (released in English as La Vie En Rose), is currently in release (June 2007). There have been other dramatized versions of her life, including a Tony Award-winning play entitled Piaf, which was also telecast on PBS.
Tags: war veteran Canada Germany Prisoner Dame Vera Lynn France La Vie en Rose Edith Piaf Harry Belafonte Granako Bokcani
Duration : 0:10:0
November 17th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
I’m wondering what …
I’m wondering what subject can be discussed without the name of George Bush being brought up? What kind of sickness do you people have that you can’t let it go even when talking about a war that happened over 60 years ago. Otherwise I enjoyed the video.
November 17th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Not sure they …
Not sure they fought for the “u” in honour…
but they did fight for “you” and “me”;-)
November 17th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
George Bush …
George Bush would’ve CAUSED the invasion of Poland, esp. if there was some bloody OIL there.
November 17th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
A nice tribute but …
A nice tribute but in Canada don’t they spell honour with a “u”? Seems to me that you’ll want to keep these unique aspects of Canadian life - it’s what the veteran served and died for.
November 17th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Beautiful. Thank …
Beautiful. Thank you for posting. Made me think of my parents. The greatest generation without a doubt.
November 17th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
They will soon be …
They will soon be gone but never forgoten
one vet to anther
November 17th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
very nice tribute …
very nice tribute mate
November 17th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
What a great …
What a great tribute! Thanks for sharing your family and history with us. I sure wish we had a Vera Lynn here. What a class woman!!!
November 17th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Fuck off you …
off you don’t deserve the internet
November 17th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
There will allways …
There will allways be somelike Bocsani, i hope
November 17th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Would Barrack …
Would Barrack Hussein Obama have gone to war over the invasion of Poland?
Didn’t think so.
Case closed
November 17th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
God Bless You All
…
God Bless You All
Please make Barack our president. Or its been a waste.
November 17th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
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…
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November 17th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Very sad truth sir. …
Very sad truth sir. My father returned from 6years in Burma, he returned, after a lousy time, but I know that he was haunted by memories of those who remained. Several of whom in unmarked graves. God bless all of them.
November 17th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
tradertom.
Why …
tradertom.
Why England?
November 17th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Simply beautiful. …
Simply beautiful. What a wonderful tribute to a WWII veteran. No one can touch the incomperable Dame Vera Lynn.
November 17th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
this song makes me …
this song makes me cry
November 17th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
we love ya our vera …
we love ya our vera
pride spirit gritt
and nanna loved ta to
sam 28 xxxx
November 17th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
What a beautiful …
What a beautiful tribute my dear! I don’t know anyone in the video, but I connected and that is due to the love you put into it. Thank you.
November 17th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Unforgettable times …
Unforgettable times!
Unforgettable people!
Heros!!!!!
May mankind never be less than they were!
And I mean all of them: the Brits and Northern Irish, the Canadians, Aussies and New Zealanders, the Indians, the Dutch, the Belgians, the Danes and Norwegians, the French, the Poles and the Czechs, all the peoples of the never-to-be-forgotten Soviet Union and the beloved Yanks. The alliance of the brave and good!
November 17th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Thnx 4 this great …
Thnx 4 this great song Vera
xx from The Netherlands
November 17th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Right on Lino!!!! …
Right on Lino!!!! What I also find tragic is that many of the noble values that these brave people stood for in their times have now been replaced by liberal political correctness garbage that only serves to undermine family values and thus turning the world into the very thing that most soldiers fought against. They may call us “old fashioned” but their is nothing old fashioned about time tested values like honor, respect, kindness, compassion, patience and love.
November 17th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Neautiful listening …
Neautiful listening. Thank you.
November 17th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
a common bond bond …
a common bond bond to those who are willing to put the ‘uniform’ on,songs bring back memories and old war stories,but all we can say is ‘ABSENT FRIENDS’please remember those who didn’t return, a boy of 82.
November 17th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Her songs are good! …
Her songs are good!I am in a choir at school and we sing this sond and White Cliffs of Dover etc