We Wonder of Today

Miss Vera Lynn

For we who experienced World War II as children there were few voices we responded to more than that of Vera Lynn who was an English singer, song-writer who created the heart-breaker signature song, "We'll Meet Again," of World War II, that we called "The War" in that time in Jeffersonville, Indiana.  It was the only war we knew anything about and it was quite enough.

I was in Second Grade in the 1943-44 school year and my teacher, Miss Johnson, was the first woman for whom I had feelings of love after my mother.  Every little boy in the room had a crush on her. She was a tall, willowy brunette who moved so gracefully we were totally captivated by her presence and hung on her every word.

One day a young man in an Army Air Corps uniform came to the classroom and sat on a tiny chair for about an hour then got up to leave and at the door Miss Johnson kissed him goodbye!  It was like an electric shock went through the boys while the girls were all "a-twitter!"  Miss Johnson settled the room and we continued, but the boys were never the same after that day.  Their dreams and fantasies were in shambles.

Months later we came to school one morning in May and the hall was filled with women!  Mothers of our class, and one who had been a teacher, was at the desk!  They got us all settled with the mothers in the back of the room.  The lady at the desk said, "Boys and girls, Miss Johnson's young man was shot down over Germany in a B17 and he is presumed dead..."  The room collapsed!  Everyone was crying and it went on for a long time, but the lady at the desk got us through the day with the help of some of the mothers.  The next day Miss Johnson came to school and continued, somewhat subdued, but that is who we were in 1943.

The next September when we returned Miss Johnson was not there! She had volunteered for the Women's Army Corp and had gone to England!  The next spring another lady came to our class to tell us that Miss Johnson had been killed in a London air raid and again the kids collapsed, but this time not quite so dramatically as we had learned about war and we went on because that is who we were in 1944

Vera Lynn was an English teenager who had written an incredible song for the time, "We'll Meet Again," and sang it so well the USO show people went to great lengths to make her look 21 so she could be in the clubs that served beer and sing her own song!

My mother was an RKO contract dancer for theaters and movies. She had many dancer friends who were from Europe.  The studios needed small women for chorus lines as the leading men were all short guys.  They were travelling much of the time and guests at our house as all the hotels were full of military people so our couch often had a lady on it.  My father music teacher had a very high quality radio as he wanted to hear the Chicago opera and big band remotes. I knew how to work the short wave and would look for broadcasts from the dancer's countries: France, Spain, Portugal, England, etc.  As a result I heard Vera Lynn sing "We'll Meet Again," live from London several times.  It was very moving, crackling over the airwaves of the time.  That is who we were in 1944 and we wonder of today.

Adrian Vance

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Thanks to Dr. James Rust for the link to the Vera Lynn commemorative.