Dame Vera Lynn: White Cliffs meadow named after Forces' Sweetheart

A meadow on the White Cliffs of Dover has been named after the Forces' Sweetheart, Dame Vera Lynn.

Dame Vera, who lived in Ditchling, East Sussex, died at the age of 103 on 18 June last year.

Her family is launching a fundraising appeal for a memorial statue for the singer on the first anniversary of her death.

Sculptor Paul Day has been chosen to create the memorial near the White Cliffs of Dover.

Renamed Dame Vera Lynn Down, the meadow was unveiled at a ceremony on Thursday, while a footpath leading to the cliff tops has also been renamed Dame Vera Lynn Way by Dover District Council.

The wheat field was part of a £1 million fundraising campaign by the National Trust to buy 178 acres of arable land on the cliff-tops in 2017, which Dame Vera supported.

Virginia Lewis-Jones, Dame Vera's daughter, said: "My mother would be absolutely delighted to have the wildflower meadow named after her.

"She always loved having flowers around her and was a keen gardener for many decades.

"The renaming of the footpath to Dame Vera Lynn Way is a touching tribute as my mother always remarked the white cliffs were the last landmark seen as the boys went off to war and the first they saw when they returned home."

The location of the meadow and proposed statue inspired her famous war-time song The White Cliffs of Dover.

Another of her songs, We'll Meet Again, experienced a resurgence last year when the Queen referenced it in an address to the nation about the coronavirus lockdown.

Relatives of Dame Vera have been supported by her friend and Southend West Conservative MP Sir David Amess, who led an adjournment debate in the House of Commons calling for the project to go ahead.

Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Tim Rice and Katherine Jenkins have previously backed the campaign to have a permanent memorial to her.

Singer Katie Ashby, who performed on ITV's Britain's Got Talent with The D-Day Darlings, is releasing a song titled Irreplaceable to raise funds for the memorial.

Dame Vera compared challenges faced in the pandemic to the darkest of times in World War Two - and used her birthday and VE Day to give messages of hope.

Ms Lewis-Jones said: "The past year has shown that she has an enduring legacy.

"We're committed to keeping the memories alive for future generations."

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