103-year-old Dame Vera Lynn becomes the oldest artist ever on the Official Albums Chart

The singer, who became hugely popular during the Second World War, enters the Official Chart following the 75th anniversary celebrations of VE Day.

Dame Vera Lynn sets a new UK chart record today (May 15) as she becomes the oldest artist to land a Top 40 on this week's Official Albums Chart.

At 103 years old, Lynn's 2017 greatest hits album 100 re-enters the Official Albums Chart at Number 30, while her signature hit We'll Meet Again makes its first ever chart appearance at Number 55.

The album's re-entry arrives off the back of last week's 75th anniversary celebrations of VE Day, which took place on May 8. The song We'll Meet Again, one of the most famous tracks of the Second World War era, formed the centrepiece of the celebrations.

Recent weeks have also seen the track become an anthem for many during lockdown after it was referenced by the Queen in her address to the nation on April 5 about the COVID-19 pandemic. Calling on people to stay resilient through the crisis, the Queen said: "We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return. We will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again."

We'll Meet Again's original release in 1939 pre-dates the Official Chart, which started in November 1952. Its entry on this week's Official Singles Chart arrives some 81 years after its release. A new version of the song featuring Katherine Jenkins charted at Number 72 last month.

Lynn went on to have great success on the Official Chart, scoring nine Top 40 hits across the 1950s, including Number 1 My Son My Son and Top 5 single Forget Me Not. View Vera Lynn's Official Chart history here.

Lynn's songs and performances saw her become enormously popular during the Second World War. She performed outdoor concerts for the troops in Egypt, India, and Burma during the war, earning her the title of The Forces' Sweetheart. Other songs she regularly performed that are associated with her are The White Cliffs of Dover, A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square and There'll Always Be an England.

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