A new mural of Newham icon Dame Vera Lynn was unveiled this week by her daughter Virginia Lewis-Jones.

The mural, by the specialist street art company MurWalls, is located in Latimer Avenue, East Ham, where Dame Vera was born.

Dame Vera, who passed away on June 18 last year at the age of 103, was known as the “Forces Sweetheart” for her moving songs that inspired hope during the Second World War.

Newham Recorder: Dame Vera Lynn died on June 18 last year at the age of 103.Dame Vera Lynn died on June 18 last year at the age of 103. (Image: Family of Dame Vera Lynn)

Mayor of Newham Rokhsana Fiaz said: “Dame Vera Lynn was the girl next door who represented a special symbol of the resilience of the East End and hope to our country in the Second World War.

“We are proud of her as a Newham legend, naming a street after her and she will always have a special place in hearts.”

Vera Lynn Close in Forest Gate is named after the singer and actress.

Commemorative street signs were installed in Vera Lynn Close; in Thackeray Road, where she was born; and in Ladysmith Gardens, where she lived from 1921 to 1938, to celebrate Dame Vera’s 100th birthday in 2017.

Ms Fiaz said: “It is fitting that a year after her death, we are sponsoring this street mural in memory of her.

“Through this piece of beautiful visual art, we can celebrate Newham’s heritage in ways that are accessible and this reflects our approach to inclusive culture and arts.”

The mural features the words “We’ll meet again” - a reference to her iconic song from the war years.

The words gained new meaning during the Covid pandemic when the Queen used them in her Christmas Day speech, inspiring the nation to be hopeful that, in time, we would all reconnect in person.

Last month, on the first anniversary of Dame Vera's death, tributes were paid at an event on the white cliffs of Dover - a reference to another of her most famous songs.

At the time, Mrs Lewis-Jones said: "There was a real sense of community as we gathered on the white cliffs, which my mother always loved so dearly as they were the first and last piece of home the ‘boys’ would see during [the Second World War].

A fundraising appeal for a memorial statue in honour of Dame Vera was also launched.