Vera Lynn

“There is always something we can be concerned about. The secret is to rise above it and do whatever we can to make the world a better place.”

“I have never been terribly ambitious.”

“Be active to your full capabilities.”

“I did an audition for Henry Hall, a well-known dance man at the BBC, when I was about 15. I have lost the letter I was sent, but it said: 'your voice is unsuitable for broadcasting.'”

“I miss the emotion of singing. There is something about it which means you can express emotions to people without actually talking to them.”

“I can never waste water. If I cannot drink it I will use it to water the plants and I will never waste food. If it is inedible it goes on the compost heap.”

“Mum worked for a London dressmaker before she married. When she was forced to give up work after her marriage, she carried on dressmaking for people at home.”

“In wartime you never know what is going to happen, you never know whether you will still be around tomorrow, and that is a great leveller.”

“I never wanted to be a Judy Garland.”

“I think I have got a peculiar voice really, it neither one thing nor the other. It's not a contralto and it's not a mezzo soprano; it's a nothing voice really.”

“I don't know Robbie Williams. I know his name, but I've never met him.”

“So many go into the business just to be famous, not because they are passionate about their craft.”

“We can't change the past but we can learn from history and remember the important things - the sacrifices our loved ones made, and the price of our freedom today.”

“Ordinary British people don't on the whole find it easy to express their feelings, even to those closest to them.”

“I was never the glamorous type like Betty Grable.”

“You can't have it all one way - be on the telly and the radio and make lots of money - and not offer anything to your followers when they need you.”

“I used to bomb around London in my little Austin 10 throughout the raids to appear on stage and if there was a raid before the show was over I would be there, crouching on a floor wherever I could find a big thick wall.”

“They didn't like my voice at school.”

“Entertaining the boys in Burma was something that I will never forget and will remain a highlight of my life.”

“I've visited Holland plenty of times and always liked staying in the Hilton in Amsterdam.”