If you are a fan of autobiographies, this book doesn't disappoint. Covering what historically has been one chapter of previous books on Dame Vera Lynn, this book finally offers much more detail on the events that cemented Dame Vera as The Forces Sweetheart. With fascinating insights and links to specific military events (prefect for those who enjoy their military history) as well as letters home and comments from soldiers and family who helped Dame Vera entertain the troops of Burma’s Forgotten Army.
| Primary Genre | Biographies & Autobiographies |
| Recommendations: |
'I was just twenty-seven years old when I went to Burma. It was an experience that changed my life for ever. Up until that time I had not really travelled anywhere at all, apart from one touring visit to Holland with a band I was singing with before the war, and I had certainly never been in an aeroplane. But I wanted to make a difference, to do my bit.'
And she did. Written with her daughter, Virginia Lewis-Jones this will be a powerful and life-affirming account of the time she spent with troops in wartime Burma. Based, in part on a diary she kept, alongside unpublished personal letters and photographs from surviving veterans and their families, it will explore why it was such a life-defining event for her and show how her presence helped the soldiers, airmen and others who heard her sing.
Keep Smiling Through features in the following genres: Biographies & Autobiographies, eBooks of the Month, Biography, Literature and Literary studies, Recommendations
Keep Smiling Through is available in Hardback
Keep Smiling Through was written by Dame Vera Lynn, Virginia Lewis-Jones and published by Century an imprint of Cornerstone
Dame Vera Lynn was born Vera Margaret Welch on 20 March 1917 and adopted the stage name of Vera Lynn at the age of eleven. She was already an established singer by the time the war broke out in 1939, but during the Second World War had enormous success with songs like 'We'll Meet Again', 'The White Cliffs of Dover' and 'A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square'. She continued to have a successful career after the war, hosted her own variety TV series on BBC1 in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and was a guest on a number of other shows including the Morecambe & Wise Christmas Show in 1972. She also became involved in many different charities. She became a Dame in 1975 and was awarded the Burma Star in 1985. In 2009 she published an autobiography, Some Sunny Day, which became a number-one bestseller in hardback. In 2016 she was appointed Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour for services to entertainment and charity.
