18 February 2009

Dame Vera Lynn furious after BNP use her hit 'White Cliffs of Dover' on anti-immigrant album

Singer Dame Vera Lynn is furious after the BNP used her famous hit White Cliffs of Dover on an anti-immigration album without her permission. The 91-year-old Forces Sweetheart says she had no idea her iconic hit would be used and has no alignment with the controversial right wing party.

The BNP have named the album after the track and have included it as well as another of her hits, All Alone in Vienna, on a nationalistic album which features a Spitfire on the front.

The album is being sold for £4.95, with a portion of the money raised going towards the BNP’s party funds, and states 'Vera Lynn, Glen Miller and others produced the music by which the English-speaking world went to war from 1939 to 1945. Here, recaptured in re-mastered glory, are the songs the soldiers sang from the deserts of North Africa to the beaches of Normandy. An unforgettable trip down memory lane.'

But the singer has told her solicitor Nigel Angel that the BNP had not approached her for approval.

Dame Vera Lynn, who lives in Ditchling, East Sussex, is in talks with her legal team about the album which is on sale at Excalibur - the BNP's trading arm.

'Her position is that the songs were included without her approval. She does not align with any political party,' said Angel.

Dame Vera is renowned for her relentless fundraising and donates proceeds from songs she has sung to British troops to charity. The singer, who lives in West Sussex, had one daughter, Virginia, by her late husband Harry.

Norman Baker, MP for Lewes, said: 'The BNP will try to imply they have the support of individuals by this kind of action when they clearly don't have their support - it's extremely regrettable.'

The White Cliffs of Dover was written by an American called Nat Burton in 1941. It became a massive hit in 1942 when sung by Dame Vera Lynn.

Daily Mail

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

How did the BNP get hold of the originals to remaster them? Have they got agents in Dame Vera'record company? They'd need access to the master disks used to press the vinyl to produce this CD.

Could well be a serious copyright infringement. It needs investigating.