Dame Vera Lynn.

A friend was out in the jungle in Malaya and said how he could hear Vera Lynn ,singing at a nearby camp and how it really lifted his spirits , he later met her at the camp, for anyone to travel all that way in those times and raise the spirits of our troops ,i will always thank, he said it is something he has never forgot, he was on the programme on Sunday .

There are still a number of veterans alive and, of course, many of us who may have lost a parent in WW2.
Added to which, those who are of a different age, want to give it a rest and not remember those horrible times could do well to reflect that times could have been even worse, they may not even be here at all to enjoy the music they like were it not for the sacrifice of the previous generation and the horrible times they went through.

I think it does us good to remember, reflect and resolve never to let it happen again.

I have 'Auf Wiedersehen Sweetheart' as an ear worm now (could be worse, could be some dreadful modern pop song )

Most of Mypennyfarthing41's post would not be unpleasant at all, if the " Stop bellyaching Yorkshiregel" and the "Try growing up" had been left out. I go along with "if the public were not reminded about it [war], complacency could set in."

At risk of being boring I'll repeat a truism "The nation that forgets its past is condemned to repeat it". Same with its war heroes and heroines, the threat they faced, the national near-despair that they helped fend off, may be over, but that is no reason to throw them on the scrapheap beause they are out of fashion, or to think that similar situations will never recur.

I hesitated to post my thoughts but on reflection here goes:

A couple of posts on here sound as if they have been written by what is termed 'selfish baby boomers'. Not selfish in the normal way of having 'stolen their children's future' but rather like the product of a self-satisfied generation that doesn't want to hear about how the generation before them fought and struggled so that they could live in peace, freedom and comfort. They would rather put their hands over their ears - or their earphones on with their music - than listen to any tales of sacrifice.

At least some remember - not least those who assemble at the Menin Gate for a ceremony at 8 pm each evening.

We don't want to perpetuate grievances but nor should we forget or be willing to listen.

I have looked through all the posts on here at least twice, and I can't see any posting which suggests ignoring the sacrifice of the wartime generation or demeaning what they went through. That was why I criticised the post of Mypennyfarthing41, especially for the mention of the holocaust which I thought was inexcusable for the discussion which was going on.

Are we not allowed to say if we don't like someone's singing style? Why does this then become:

^ the product of a self-satisfied generation that doesn't want to hear about how the generation before them fought and struggled so that they could live in peace, freedom and comfort. They would rather put their hands over their ears - or their earphones on with their music - than listen to any tales of sacrifice^

All this from saying I don't much care for Vera Lynn's voice?? Where have I or anyone said anything derogatory about the people listening to it?

Not you badenkate - did I mention you?

It was more remarks like not remembering the war, give it a rest, we don't want to be reminded of those horrible times which I don't think you said in fact, so I don't know why you think I meant you .

As I also said Gracie Fields was another war-time singer, one mum loved her, one mum couldn't stand her. But it's not her 100th birthday!

Next remark for Swanny

She probably got trotted out at every commemoration because the others had all died!

To be fair Jalima you didn't mention anyone - which meant that all of us who said we weren't keen on Vera Lynn would have felt grouped together - and I did say I preferred 60s music .

I still feel that other posters did tend to read much that wasn't intended into anti-Vera postings. I don't think any of us meant to be disrespectful to the people who went through that terrible time. I watched a programme on the 'Yesterday' channel yesterday! and saw awful film footage of the London Blitz in excruciating detail which I'd never seen before. I can't imagine how I would have lived through it without being a shaking wreck.

In fact I don't know what my DP thought about Vera Lynn although my mother was always singing and some songs she sang were hers, amongst many others.
Dad never passed comment

And I preferred 60s music

My parents were in London during the second world war. My Dad was in a reserved occupation and active in the Home Guard. I grew up with stories of my Mum returning home from a night shift and checking from a railway bridge whether her home was still there. Of incidents and near misses they were involved in, most told with humour and great stoicism. They loved music, had many records, none of Vera Lynn. I asked why once, I was told it wasn't her voice, she had been part of their experience and appreciated at the time but hearing her brought back horrific memories they would rather not re-contact and had not to shared with me. It would be no different were they alive now. There will be many reasons for individual reactions.

What I didn't realise cornergran was that if you were left homeless because your home had been bombed, it was left up to you to find somewhere else to live.

When I started the thread it was just to wish a Lady a happy 100th birthday

A lady who has played her part in the history of WW2 .

She is the same generation as our Queen and my mother in law.

In a few years time the generation that we so much to will be gone.

Its not about people now liking or disliking her voice.
Its about what she and her voice did for the moral of our forces and the British civilians alike.

BTW my musical era was the seventies.

'That we owe so much to'

Badenkate yes my fathers house was bombed in the Clydebank Blitz. The family of five had to move In with grandparents.
The ones that weren't so lucky had to go to church or school halls.
After the war the prefabs were put up as an emergency measure to house the homeless.

I remember her first time round though I was small. Good post, Cherrytree

Cherrytree Nice OP, thank you

Sorry but prefabs were put up before the end of the war first built in 1944. I come from one of the most bombed cities and my aunt stood in a queue for fish and watched a prefab being built that my gran later lived in. My mum lived through the bombing. Oh and she doesn't like Vera Lynn. She is 94.

Trisher, no need to be sorry .
I wasn't around so only know that my father who was himself a child and his family were able to move into their prefab after the war was over .

Such a shame a thread that had all the best intentions of celebrating the 100th birthday of a decent human being cannot help but attract animosity at the same time.

Vera Lynn was typical of most people during war time, doing their duty with tools they had to hand. In her case it was her voice, her personality and obvious warmth and respect for our troops. Her gift of 'boosting morale' may not be understood by all but it it does have a significant impact and boy did she deliver, sometimes putting herself in danger.

Vera Lynn did not simply rely on the adoration she was given by many who respected her after the war was over. She has earned respect from the likes of The British Legion and has engaged in charity work.

The Dame Vera Lynn Charitable Trust is a charity to support children with cerebral palsy and a worth while cause.

Extract:-

Vera was given an OBE in the 1969 New Year Honours and was advanced to Dame in 1975 for charitable services

Vera has also devoted much of her time to charity work, helping ex-servicemen, disabled children, and breast cancer charities.

The wartime singer founded a cerebral palsy charity named the Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity in 2002, which provides support and education for affected families.

She was awarded with the British War Medal 1939-45 and the Burma Star.

She was also given an OBE in the 1969 New Year Honours and was later advanced to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 1975 Queen’s Birthday Honours for charitable services.

In 2000, she was named the Briton who best exemplified the spirit of the 20th century and last year she was made a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in Her Majesty’s Birthday Honours list.

www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/2765046/dame-vera-lynn-dover/

I honestly don't understand why such a decent human being provokes such displeasure to be honest.

There will always be some, POGS☹️

I can understand her music not being to everyone's taste and that is fair enough but some people find displeasure in everything!

I expect I've written about this on here before, but it's worth repeating. In 1969 or thereabouts Vera Lynn came to sing in Manchester at our local concert venue (The Golden Garter for those in the area). My grandmother wrote to her and asked if during the concert she would dedicate a song to my grandfather who was an ardent fan. Not only did she do that, but she also called at the house to visit him - it wasn't a PR stunt, there were no newspapers or TV cameras present, it was just a very kind gesture from a very caring lady. My grandad cried.

History is the past and always worth studying and learning from. Music is much more personal and we should be tolerant of others' likes and dislikes. It would be a boring world if we were all the same.

I just have a vision of future care homes with ex punks screeching to the 'Sex Pistols' or 'Idols of Filth'. Others may be rapping alongside 'Snoop Dogg', 'Eminem' or 'Jay Zee'. At least I won't be there! She's not to my taste but I'd rather have Vera Lynn!!! Happy Birthday Vera.

I am not sure if that is correct Baden, although I am happy to be proved wrong about the housing business. We were bombed out, and 'rehabilitated', together with my aunt and her family into a private house, left empty by the owners who had moved to a safer place. My mum and aunt were each given an oven in the kitchen, and the house was big enough for me and my cousin to have a bedroom each, and my aunt & uncle and mum and dad likewise, this was luxury for us, AND we had HOT WATER on tap and a bathroom and an indoor toilet PLUS electricity. Sad memory also, the young women who lived next door with her mum and baby lost her aircraftsman husband whilst we were living there. It was back to normal for us, when once the repair to our home had been done, can't remember how long that took.