John Peel Wiki

Changes to the look of John Peel Wiki will take place in the near future due to a new skin being rolled out over Oct/Nov across Wikia. Please see the Wikia Staff Blog for further details. On this site, the changes will affect the navigation from the left menu, as well as introduce a fixed page width with narrower content space. Please be patient while adjustments are made for the switch to the new system.

UPDATE: As the change is now in force for some users, I have switched the navigation to the simplified one for the new system. Please check Navigation in the Help section if you can't find things. I also initially made small adjustments to the front page layout, but have now reverted to the old look until all users are on the new system.

COUNTDOWN: Just a reminder for people still using Monaco that the final switch to the new skin is due on Nov. 3. After that, it will no longer be offered as an option. Sorry. Nothing to do with me.

Steve W

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John Peel Wiki
Vera Lynn

Dame Vera Margaret Lynn CH DBE OStJ (née Welch; 20 March 1917 - 18 June 2020) was an English singer of traditional popular music, songwriter and actress, whose musical recordings and performances were enormously popular during the Second World War. She was widely known as "the Forces' Sweetheart" for giving outdoor concerts for the troops in Egypt, India, and Burma during the war as part of Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA). The songs most associated with her are "We'll Meet Again", "The White Cliffs of Dover", "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" and "There'll Always Be an England".

She remained popular after the war, appearing on radio and television in the UK and the US and recording such hits as "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart" and her UK Number one single "My Son, My Son". Her last single, "I Love This Land", was released to mark the end of the Falklands War. In 2009, at age 92, she became the oldest living artist to top the UK Albums Chart, with compilation album We'll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn. She released the compilation album of hits Vera Lynn 100 in 2017, to commemorate her centennial year, and it was a number-3 hit, making her the first centenarian performer to have an album in the charts.

Links to Peel[]

Peel had a copy of Vera Lynn's compilation album, The War Years, which he would sometimes play tracks from on his programmes, usually as the last song on the show. The DJ also played unexpected cover versions of Vera Lynn classics by Tony Blackburn, Barbara Cartland, Blue Jays and Checkers.

Shows Played[]

Vera_Lynn_-_When_They_Sound_the_Last_All_Clear

Vera Lynn - When They Sound the Last All Clear

1985
  • 12 August 1985: When They Sound the Last "All Clear" (LP - The War Years) Decca
1987
1996

Covered[]

(The list below was compiled only from the Cover Versions page of this site. Please add more information if known.)

Artist | Track | First Known Play

See Also[]

External Links[]