Captain Tom Moore pays tribute to 'lovely' Dame Vera Lynn as Forces' Sweetheart to be honoured with flypast

“She was always so kind, she was lovely, I’ve always had a soft place in my heart for Dame Vera"
Ewan Somerville10 July 2020

Captain Sir Tom Moore has paid tribute to "lovely" Dame Vera Lynn ahead of her private funeral.

The Forces' Sweetheart will be honoured with a Spitfire flypast in her beloved Sussex village before her funeral later on Friday.

Dame Vera, an adored singer who entertained troops with morale-boosting visits to the front line during the Second World War, died on June 18 aged 103.

Crowds are expected to gather in the picturesque village of Ditchling this lunchtime, where she lived, to say goodbye to their “special local lady”.

Dame Vera Lynn - In pictures

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Remembering her visit to troops in Burma, Second World War veteran Captain Tom told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “There she was, this lovely English girl…

"She was a great person to give us a lot more confidence and we were very, very pleased to see her.”

The heroic veteran, who recently raised £33 million for the NHS during the pandemic, recently received a letter from Dame Vera in recognition of the millions he has raised for the NHS.

“I was absolutely thrilled to get a letter from Dame Vera congratulating me on the amount of money that we’d raised for my birthday," he said.

“She was always so kind, she was lovely, I’ve always had a soft place in my heart for Dame Vera. It was very sad when she died.”​

Ahead of the day, a giant portrait of the Forces Sweetheart was beamed onto the White Cliffs of Dover to commemorate her life.

The cortege will leave her family home later on Friday and pause at the crossroads in the centre of the village to allow residents to pay their respects.

Captain Tom Moore - In pictures

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At about midday, a Spitfire and a Hurricane – two of the most famous aircraft from the war – will soar over the village as a show of respect for Dame Vera.

Virginia Lewis-Jones, Dame Vera’s daughter, said: “We want to thank everyone for their tremendous support over the past few weeks.

“My mother always appreciated receiving messages from all over the world, and Ditchling was always particularly special to her, that is why we know she would be touched that so many people want to pay their respects in the village tomorrow.”

She asked that people follow Government guidance and respect Ditchling’s residents if they are visiting from somewhere else.

She added: “It means so much to us to see my mother’s legacy living on.

“We are sure her music will endure forever but most importantly, we hope that people will continue to support those charities that she cared about so much.”

After leaving Ditchling, the cortege will move on to the crematorium in Brighton where a tri-service route-lining party will wait outside the chapel, together with a military bearer party ready to receive the coffin.

A bugler from the Royal Marines will provide a musical tribute inside the chapel, and the Ministry of Defence will be represented by a senior officer who, along with the bugler and the small family group, will be the only people to attend the funeral service.

A full memorial service will be held at a later date.

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