Spitfire and Hurricane flypast will mark Dame Vera Lynn’s private funeral on Friday after the forces’ sweetheart’s death aged 103
- Singer who entertained troops during Second World War died aged 103 in June
- Private funeral service to be held on Friday beginning in Ditchling, East Sussex
- It will feature the iconic Spitfire and Hurricane plans from the Second World War
Dame Vera Lynn’s private funeral service will have a flypast which will feature the ironic Spitfire and Hurricane planes, it has been revealed today.
The singer, who entertained troops with morale-boosting visits to the front line during the Second World War, died aged 103 on June 18.
Her passing will be marked with a private funeral service on Friday, which will start with a cortege from her family home in Ditchling, East Sussex.
The cortege will pause at the crossroads in the centre of the village to acknowledge her long association with the place and allow residents to pay their respects.
A flypast by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, consisting of a Spitfire and a Hurricane, will take place during the pause at midday.
The singer, who entertained troops with morale-boosting visits to the front line during the Second World War, died aged 103 on June 18. Left: Dame Vera pictured in 2020 – just months before her death. Right: Dame Vera in 1940
Dame Vera Lynn’s private funeral service will have a flypast which will feature the ironic Spitfire (front) and Hurricane (back) planes, it has been revealed today
Dame Vera Lynn entertained troops with morale-boosting visits to the front line during the Second World War. She is pictured during the war (left, in 1941) and in 1940 (right)
The cortege will move on to the crematorium in Brighton where a tri-service route-lining party will wait outside the chapel, together with a military bearer party ready to receive the coffin.
A bugler from the Royal Marines will provide a musical tribute inside the chapel and the Ministry of Defence will be represented by a senior officer who, along with the bugler and the small family group, will be the only people to attend the funeral service.
Queen Elizabeth II receives a record album, extracts from 25 years of Royal Variety Performance, from singer Vera Lynn in 1973
Two Spitfires from the battle of Britain Memorial Flight fly over the cliffs of Dover in May
A full memorial service will be held at a later date.
The Queen referenced the title of one of Dame Vera’s most beloved wartime songs when she told the country, separated from family and friends during the coronavirus lockdown: ‘We will meet again.’
She was also fondly remembered for singing The White Cliffs Of Dover, There’ll Always Be An England, I’ll Be Seeing You, Wishing and If Only I Had Wings, to help raise British spirits during the Blitz.
Hawker Hurricans fly during the Duxford Battle of Britain Air Show at the Imperial War Museum last year
In the Battle of Britain in 1940, the RAF flew Spitfires and Hurricanes against Nazi Germany’s Luftwaffe.
Their monumental victory prevented a German invasion – but at a devastating cost.
From an estimated crew of 3,000 pilots, roughly half survived the four-month battle, with 544 Fighter Command pilots and crew among the dead, more than 700 from Bomber Command and almost 300 from Coastal Command falling to secure Britain’s skies.
The losses were heavy, but the Germans, who thought they could eradicate the RAF in a matter of weeks, lost more.