REST in peace, Dame Vera Lynn.

I remember her for the song We’ll Meet Again, that she sang in the depths of the great wartime depression in 1941, when Britain, having been forced to flee from Dunkirk, having left most of its wartime weaponry on the beach, was fast losing the war and heading for defeat and an invasion that nothing Britain could do to ever stop.

I was either hunkered down in a tiny Anderson air raid shelter, dug deep into the ground and the only one in the whole road, that Dad was so fortunate to be able to afford in 1938 for home use so that we could try and survive the intense night time bombing and incendiary raids that happened, or hiding in the deep underground air raid shelters buried in the school playing fields during daylight bombing raids and in so doing loosing so much education.

The earth surrounding the shelter during school hours would shudder for every bomb that landed with 100 yards which was the same at home during the heavier night time raids. Thanks Vera for all the stirring songs you sang.

DOUGLAS MILLS

Fraser Road, Poole