"Elizabeth s date had spotted me winking at her, and suggested she go over and ask me for an American cigarette. She did, and the rest, as they say, is…
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image captionA memorial is planned for the White Cliffs that were immortalised in one of Dame Vera s most famous songs
A campaign for a memorial to Forces Sweetheart Dame Vera Lynn has been given government support.
Three sites on Dover s White Cliffs have been proposed for the £1.5m memorial overlooking the English Channel.
Fundraising is due to begin on 18 June, on the first anniversary of Dame Vera s death at the age of 103.
Culture minister Matt Warman told MPs he looks forward to the day when a statue is in place.
Mr Warman said it was not normal practice for central government to fund new memorials but he highlighted the work of organisations in delivering such monuments.
The White Cliffs, Dover. Photo credit: Gareth Fuller The minister also noted Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden is “as much as a fan” as Sir David of “the great Dame Vera” before concluding: “I wish all those involved the deepest, best wishes in their efforts to raise funds for this commemoration to Dame Vera. “It sounds like an ambitious and transformative proposal for the south coast, truly befitting Dame Vera. “I look forward to that moment when her statue looks down from the White Cliffs.” The National Trust site in the North Downs is immortalised in one of her most famous songs, The White Cliffs Of Dover.
A campaign for a memorial to Dame Vera Lynn on the White Cliffs of Dover has received Government support.
Culture minister Matt Warman told MPs he “looks forward” to the day when a statue is in place to commemorate the singer, who entertained troops with morale-boosting visits to the front line during the Second World War.
Dame Vera died last year at the age of 103.
Fundraising for the project is expected to begin on June 18 – the anniversary of her death.
Matt Warman (Joe Giddens/PA)
Conservative Sir David Amess (Southend West) led an adjournment debate in the House of Commons calling for the project to go ahead.
‘Churchill kept me away from my mother’
May 09, 2021
Robyn shares the tale of her hospital room-mate who worked for the British prime minister during World War II. Source: Getty Images
“Damn Cuban cigars didn’t do the linen tablecloths much good, and, when I went home every fortnight, my mother complained that the smell permeated all my clothes.”
What tablecloths, what cigars?
It doesn’t take a high IQ (or a leap of imagination) to surmise that important folk smoke fat cigars. It’s simply a well-known fact. And why was such a young girl (circa 1942) only “going home to Mother” every two weeks? Okay, let me back up the timeline.