Vera Lynn

She was born Vera Margaret Welch in East Ham, Essex to a plumber Bertram Welch and dressmaker Annie Martin.

When Vera was two years old, she fell ill with diphtheritic croup and was sent to an isolation unit. She recalled to The Guardian: "One of my earliest memories is of being on my own in a tent surrounded by steaming kettles. I was discharged after three months, just in time for my third birthday. As I'd missed Christmas, I had my Christmas and birthday all in one – in March. Mum even found a Christmas tree."

She began performing publicly at seven in working men's clubs. Lynn recalled: "I spent hours rehearsing new songs while Mum doggedly accompanied me on the piano. The fear of forgetting the words in public often made me cry, but Mum was determined to put me on the stage and I never complained."