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Dame Vera Lynn: Spitfire flypast marks funeral | |
(32 minutes later) | |
Two Spitfires flew over the funeral procession of Dame Vera Lynn as family, friends and fans said goodbye to the Forces' Sweetheart. | |
Her cortege was accompanied by the Battle of Britain flypast as it travelled through Ditchling in East Sussex at midday. | |
Dame Vera died last month at the age of 103 and her funeral is being held at Woodvale Crematorium in Brighton. | Dame Vera died last month at the age of 103 and her funeral is being held at Woodvale Crematorium in Brighton. |
The two World War Two fighter planes made three passes over the village. | |
Hundreds of people had gathered to await the arrival of the cortege and the crowd applauded as the aircraft flew over. | |
Representatives from the Royal British Legion stood with flags as they waited to honour Dame Vera. | Representatives from the Royal British Legion stood with flags as they waited to honour Dame Vera. |
The funeral procession stopped at the crossroads in the centre of Ditchling, where the singer lived for 50 years, to allow people to pay their respects. | |
Later, as the procession made its way out of the village, there were shouts of "hip hip hooray" from the crowd in her honour. | |
The cheers were followed by a spontaneous rendition of We'll Meet Again, one of the songs Dame Vera was well-known for. | |
A private service at the crematorium chapel is expected to include a bugler from the Royal Marines providing music. | |
The family said a full memorial service would be held at a later date. | |
At the scene | At the scene |
Peter Whittlesea, BBC News | Peter Whittlesea, BBC News |
Every lamppost in the narrow streets of Ditchling bears a large poppy. | Every lamppost in the narrow streets of Ditchling bears a large poppy. |
Union flags flutter in the breeze and shop windows display portraits of the woman who became known as the Forces' Sweetheart. | Union flags flutter in the breeze and shop windows display portraits of the woman who became known as the Forces' Sweetheart. |
Camera crews and photographers have descended on the village along with servicemen and women who have come to pay their respects. | |
It is a fond farewell for Dame Vera. | It is a fond farewell for Dame Vera. |
A tribute was also paid to Dame Vera as a picture of her, accompanied with a video, were projected on to Dover's white cliffs ahead of her funeral. | |
The lyrics of We'll Meet Again appeared as the music was played across the Channel. | The lyrics of We'll Meet Again appeared as the music was played across the Channel. |
The projection on to the 350ft cliffs was visible to ships and planes and could also be seen from the main road and from some back gardens. | The projection on to the 350ft cliffs was visible to ships and planes and could also be seen from the main road and from some back gardens. |
The singer was best known for performing hits such as We'll Meet Again to troops on the front line. | The singer was best known for performing hits such as We'll Meet Again to troops on the front line. |
Dame Vera, who had sold more than a million records by the age of 22, was also 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. | Dame Vera, who had sold more than a million records by the age of 22, was also 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. |