Lynn devoted much time and energy to charity work connected with ex-servicemen, disabled children and breast cancer. She was held in great affection by Second World War veterans and in was named the Briton who best exemplified the spirit of the 20th century.
She was sent to an isolation unit and was discharged after three months there. Lynn recalled that her mother was not as strict with her elder brother Roger as she was with her. She began performing publicly at the age of seven and adopted her maternal grandmother Margaret's maiden name "Lynn" as her stage name when she was eleven.
In turn, she was taken on by Billy Cotton and briefly toured with his band in before returning to Howard Baker. It was with Baker that she made her first record, on 17 February , with a song called "It's Home". She joined the Ambrose band in , [ 19 ] and remained with him until , when she went solo.
Lynn's wartime contribution began when she would sing to people who were using London's tube station platforms as air raid shelters. She would drive there in her Austin 10 car. She left Ambrose in During the Phoney War , the Daily Express asked British servicemen to name their favourite musical performers: Vera Lynn came out on top and as a result became known as "the Forces' Sweetheart".
On 1 July , Lynn made her first appearance as a "fully fledged solo act" at the New Hippodrome in Coventry. Vera Lynn appeared in the revue Applesauce!
