Dame Vera Lynn
Soldier who saw ‘angel’ sing
AT FRONT
Roy saw
her sing in Burma
ONE of the few surviving soldiers to have watched Vera perform in Burma
has told how he has never forgotten what she did for the troops.
...Roy Welland, 96, said it was like having
“an angel” lift their spirits in the war zone.
...“I was quite lucky. I got a space
almost at the front. I stood there and thought of home instantly,”
he says. “I can’t put into words how it made us feel to have
her perform, how it boosted morale. And I’ve never forgotten it.”
...Roy, then a 23-year-old with the Royal
Berkshire Regiment, fought the Japanese in the battle of Kohima just months
before Vera’s visit in September 1944. The veteran, from Colchester,
even met her. He said: “She had a great loyalty for the country
and is very nice. And she’s a Cockney like me so of course I liked
her.”
Donated By: Nick Webster Features Editor On Behalf Of
The Daily Mirror
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Sgt. Roy Wellands File]
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The Complete Article Mirror Online]
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Sgt. Roy Welland 5337618