(Photo: Submitted)
A Saint John resident remembers Dame Vera Lynn as a life well-lived and a signal of hope until the very end.
Joshua Thomson said when he saw the news that Vera Lynn had passed away, it felt like the end of an era.
“During the coronavirus pandemic, she had spoke out to the people of Britain and said that they should summon the blitz spirit as that is what got them through the Second World War,” he said.
Thomson was working on a short film project in 2014 about the romance of his grandparents during the Second World War, and wanted to honor the second world war period.
He thought of Vera Lynn and reached out via social media to get permission to use the music from “We’ll Meet Again” and ended up corresponding with her granddaughter to get permission.
(Photo: Submitted)
Once he had finished the short film called The Cigar – A Saint John Family Wartime Story, he sent it along to Vera’s granddaughter who said she loved the story.
The film made it through to the second round of shortlisting and is now in the permanent collections of the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick
Thomson said loves history and while doing the film, dove further into her music, which had a strong impact on his life.
“It was her voice on the radio that gave people hope to hold on and I think that’s her lasting legacy. Even in the times that we’re in right now and the uncertainty that we’re facing, her music still speaks to everyone today,” he said.
Thomson said her music means hope to him, to keep going. He said it’s the end of an era, and he was sad to hear of her passing but he feels like her music will live on and help people.
“It’s one of those things that it hits home,” he said.
“Just because you didn’t necessarily know the people, but you knew what they went through.”
