Two followers of Dame Vera.

On the 18th June 2020 we mourned the loss of Our Forces sweetheart (Vera Lynn). It brought together two meetings in my past when I was fortunate enough to meet Dame Vera.

Both memories involved ex-servicemen from World War 2. The first was after meeting a man in Oklahoma who landed on Omaha Beach on the 6th June 1944. He had spent some time in England leading up to D Day and had found a soft spot for our Vera. His one regret was that he had never met her and he said he would so much like to know if I could get her to sign something to him.

This encounter was in the 1990s unfortunately, his name eludes me now and he along with my only connection to him have now departed this mortal coil as well. I do remember that he smoked large Cuban cigars which at that time in the US were actually illegal.

However, on my return, I decided I would try and get him that signature.

I was involved with the Shoreham Airshow team through the ’90s, so I found a photo of Vera and approached her at the Airshow one year (she attended quite a few of those shows in the early ’90s) Dame Vera happily signed it and was most interested in what I knew of this GI who landed and took part in the invasion of a beach in France called Omaha. It was later to be called Bloody Omaha, the beach that took the life of so many young American men on D-Day.

With this done I posted the signed photo of Dame Vera off to Oklahoma. Some weeks later I received a letter from a highly delighted ex-soldier, who stated he had sent a surprise back to me in the post. I duly received a notification from customs about a parcel addressed to me. It was from the old soldier and it contained a whole box of Cuban cigars. That box of cigars cost me a fortune to get out of customs.

The second was F/Lt Witt Wittridge DFC.RAF.

I never met Witt, I had written to his daughter for a signed copy of his book called “An evil boy” she had answered my request and sure enough, I received a signed copy. I read the book and noted one paragraph from his war in Burma when his base was visited by Vera Lynn.

The paragraph contained this personal memory from Witt.
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Our squadron was very close to the enemy positions and Vera Lynn along with her sidekick knew that only too well. It was known that many, many, big names of the entertainment world came no further than Delhi. Our little charmer (Vera Lynn) had more guts in her little finger than that lot put together. I should love to know that she reads this and I am sure the appreciation of her effort was wholehearted from all of 155 squadron.

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When I read that paragraph I knew I had to show Dame Vera, so at the next opportunity (and loaded with Witts book) I approached her again and showed her what he had written. She signed the book and personalised it with a little note to Witt and I sent it back to his daughter.

Witts daughter wrote back telling me that although he had started to suffer from Alzheimer’s he had realised the significance of Vera reading his piece and was delighted that, (all be it from a distance) he had been able to tell her how much they appreciated her visit to them in Burma during 1944.