Call for all female veterans to sing up

Female veterans across the country are being invited to join a special singalong of Dame Vera Lynn’s classic wartime favourite We’ll Meet Again for VE Day on Friday May 8.

The invitation comes from the WRAC Association - the only charity that specifically supports female army veterans.

The 101 year-old charity is asking female veterans UK-wide to raise their voices via a specially-arranged Zoom call.

Their dulcet tones will be supported by the rousing sounds of the Yorkshire Military Band.

At 8pm the Zoom event will kick off with a talk by Col Alison Brown, vice-president of the charity, about the history of VE Day and its significance.

This will be followed by the first broadcast of the charity’s new podcast series featuring stories of women who served during WWII.

The story to be told will be that of Grace Taylor, a woman who lied about her age to be able to join the army and went on to witness the Plymouth Blitz.

Then, at 9pm, the singalong to Dame Vera Lynn’s We’ll Meet Again will commence.

Given that many veterans are elderly and locked down indoors, it is more important than ever that these women’s contribution to their country - and that of their predecessors, is commemorated.

Radio stations are also invited to play We’ll Meet Again at 9pm on May 8 to participate in their own way.

And anyone who is unsure about joining in should heed the inspiring words of 96 year-old Betty Webb MBE, President of WRAC Association Birmingham branch.

She said: “We cannot let COVID-19 stand in the way of celebrating VE Day 75.”

The WRAC Association is a vibrant, active, charity with two main objectives - membership and benevolence.

The Association provides comradeship, friendship, esprit de corps and support to more than 3,000 members and last year handed out more than £250,000 in benevolence grants.

Women only need to have served for one day or more in the British Army to be eligible to apply for benefits.