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Stephen Dixon has shared fond memories of his interview with Dame Vera Lynn amid growing support for a memorial to honour the wartime singer."I had the great privilege of interviewing her once," Stephen recalled. "What a woman. I mean, she really is the nation's sweetheart."READ THE FULL STORY HERE
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Now, when you think back to the war, one of the things..
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And I had the great privilege of interviewing her once, Dame Vera Lynn
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Oh, what a woman. Well, yeah, I mean, the nation's sweetheart. I mean, she really, really was an incredible woman
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And the acclaimed sculptor Paul Day has created a breathtaking three-metre tableau
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to commemorate Dame Vera, and it's destined to overlook the White Cliffs of Dover
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Oh, it'd just be beautiful, wouldn't it? Well, this comes after the late Sir David Amos launched an appeal
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to create a lasting memorial to honour the forces' sweetheart shortly before he died in 2021
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However, the memorial is currently, believe it or not, in the Czech Republic
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We still need another £350,000 for it to be completed. So, can we reach that goal
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I hope so. We're joined now by close friend of Dame Vera Lynn, Susan Fleet
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Very good morning to you, Susan. And do you really think we can reach this goal
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I hope so. Well, if we can't do it at this time, then we never can, to be frank
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I mean, VE week, VE day today. In fact, I must tell you, Dame Vera was flying back from Burma on VE day
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Wow. And apparently they had a glass of champagne in the air. Oh, quite right, too
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If we can't do it now, then when can we do it? We been appealing for the last four years for funds We been very successful We raised 1 million but we need this final amount to get us across the final finishing line
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Why was Dame Vera the sweetheart, the pin-up of the war? I mean, because she seemed to epitomise so much
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not just sort of keeping spirits up for those who were involved in the conflict directly
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but actually keeping spirits up at home and a sign of what people who weren't directly involved in that sense
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were actually doing to keep the home fires burning? Well, she actually was given that title, The Forces, Sweetheart
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It was a competition in the Daily Express in 1939. So that's where that came from
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Then in 1941, she had a BBC radio programme, Sincerely Yours, where she was connecting people in the UK, the families in the UK
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with the boys overseas, all over the world. And I think that's where the title came from
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of her being the sweetheart of the nation. And she held that light until she died five years ago at the age of 103
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Wow. She was the original Force's sweetheart. I mean, what a life she had
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You must be so proud of her as her friend. I was very proud and I was actually very privileged
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because for the last 15 years of her life, I acted as her PA
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So when she was 100 all the mail came here and we opened 3 letters and cards and tributes from all over the world from children as young as five who were studying World War II as part of history lessons from veterans
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from people up to 100. It was extraordinary. And, of course, lots from celebrity friends all over the world
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She was... I was going to say, she always struck us as being someone
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who was so important to so many people and yet remained very humble
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Incredibly humble, very down to earth. There were no airs and graces about Dame Vera
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She always was humble through and through. And she was very much a part of our local Sussex community
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And she was actually kept going right up till a few weeks before she passed away
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She was extraordinary. Oh, she truly was, Susan. We're seeing pictures now on the screen of this memorial
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Can you describe it for us, for our radio audience? Because it catches so much, doesn't it
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It does indeed. At the very top, you've got St Paul's Cathedral during the Blitz
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and you've got a couple dancing together. And on the right, you have a family around the radiogram
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with the children and the pets. On the left-hand side, you have the service personnel, men and women
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You have musicians on the left and on the right. and you have Dame Vera center stage with a microphone
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Interestingly one of the faces on the left is Sir David Amess which is a fitting tribute to an extraordinary man who initiated this memorial
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And on the right-hand side, you have Dame Vera's husband, Harry, who she met in 1939 when they were both in the same orchestra
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the Burt Ambrose Orchestra. So it's lovely that those two people are marked
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in the memorial as well. It is, and it's something that's got so much detail in it
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If this gets done, and let's hope and pray it does, where will it go
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Well, it is created already. It's in the Czech Republic for the final process
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which is the patination, which keeps it in the longevity of the sculpture
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We're just waiting for the final fund so that we can bring it back here
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And we're hoping it's going to be on Marine Parade in Dover. There are a few legal issues we have to get through
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But we're very much hoping that when the council meet later this month, that they will give approval for the memorial to be placed there
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It'll be perfect timing as well, wouldn't it, with the 80th anniversary? How can people donate to the fund if they'd like to, Susan
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If they go on the website, which is www.dameveralynmemorialstatue.co.uk, there's a Just Giving page and people can donate
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There's also information if people want to send cheques to our treasurer
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All the details are there. OK, Susan, really good to talk to you
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And let's hope we get this across the line
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