Dame Vera beats The Beatles to the top spot
Updated on 14 September 2009
The Forces' Sweetheart becomes the world's oldest living artist to have a number one album as she beats the Fab Four to the top of the UK charts.
Dame Vera Lynn's debut offering We'll Meet Again - The Very Best of Vera Lynn hit the top spot, meaning the 92-year-old has now usurped Bob Dylan as the oldest artist to grace the premium position.
Her album outsold artists including Arctic Monkeys, Jamie T and The Kings of Leon, and even trumped The Beatles' much-hyped remastered editions.
It is 70 years to the month since Dame Vera, then 22, visited the Decca studios and first recorded We'll Meet Again in 1939.
Dame Vera said: "I am extremely surprised and delighted, and a big thank you to all my fans for putting me there."
HMV's Gennaro Castaldo said the fact The Beatles albums went on sale late in the week damaged their chances of a number one.
He said: "We've seen huge demand for the remastered Beatles albums since Wednesday, but sales have been spread across all the releases, especially the box sets.
"The fact they were only out for four days also seems to have counted against their prospects of a number one.
"This has left the door open for Dame Vera, whose album has been selling consistently in recent weeks and has been steadily growing in demand, to top this week's chart.
"It's a really lovely surprise that nobody could have imagined a few weeks ago, and it's ironic that it's taken one revered British icon to block the historic return of another to the top of the charts."
