Dame Vera Lynn's image projected on white cliffs of Dover to mark 100th birthday

To celebrate the 100th birthday of Dame Vera Lynn, her image was projected on to the cliffs on the day she officially became a centenarian.

The 350ft image of Dame Vera, who is affectionately known as The Forces' Sweetheart, was also in celebration of the release of her new album, Vera Lynn 100.

The music release will feature new re-orchestrated versions of her most beloved music alongside her original vocals and it is thought the record will make her the first singer to have released a new album as a centenarian.

The album also features a previously unreleased version of Sailing - a surprise find as it was not widely known she had recorded the track.

Dame Vera said: "It is an unprecedented honour to have my birthday marked in such a beautiful way and I am truly thrilled by this wonderful gesture.

"As we look to the white cliffs, I will be thinking of all our brave boys - the cliffs were the last thing they saw before heading off to war and, for those fortunate enough to return, the first thing they saw upon returning home.

"I feel so blessed to have reached this milestone and I can't think of a more meaningful way to mark the occasion."

The record comes eight years after Dame Vera became the oldest living artist to land a UK number one album and also marks the wartime singer's 93 years in the industry as she made her stage debut at the age of seven.