Going for a song! Rolls Royce used by Forces sweetheart Dame Vera Lynn to transport her to annual fair in her home village is set to fetch £30,000 at auction

• Dame Vera Lynn’s old Rolls-Royce has gone up for auction at the Imperial War Museum in Cambridgeshire    
• The car spent 60 years in one family and was driven by a local GP doing his rounds in Ditchling village 
• Fewer than 4,000 of the cars were ever sold, and few are left, but this one could go for as little as £25,000

A Rolls-Royce once used as Second World War singer Dame Vera Lynn’s work car has gone up for auction.

The majestic 1931 Rolls-Royce was used as transport for the late singer to the opening of the annual Ditchling Fair in her home village in East Sussex.

The luxury car is predicted to sell for between £25,000 and £30,000 on October 19 at the H&H Classic Cars auction at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, Cambridgeshire.

James McWilliam of H&H Classics, who got hold of the car, said: ‘Icon and entertainer Dame Vera Lynn lived in the same village as the car’s current owner and annually attended the Ditchling Village Fair riding in “GX 7255”.

Dame Vera Lynn (second from right) is photographed with the 1931 Rolls-Royce in Ditchling village in East Sussex

The vintage 1931 Rolls Royce is now up for auction at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, Cambridgeshire

‘Forces sweetheart’ Dame Vera Lynn used the stylish Rolls-Royce as her work car and drove it to the Ditchling Fair every year

Chic retro features have been carefully maintained on the old car, which remains in great condition despite its age 

The luxurious car was first owned by Major General Sir Miles William Arthur Peel Graham before being sold to Dame Vera

The car was one of just 3,827 sold, making it a rare model almost a century after production ended 

‘She can be seen with the car in a photograph taken at the Village Fair in 1982.’

A spokesperson for H&H Classics added: ‘The car’s coachwork is by Thrupp and Maberly Ltd of London. 

‘It was first owned by Major General Sir Miles William Arthur Peel Graham and has been in its current family ownership in Ditchling for over 60 years, driven around the Ditchling area by its GP owner as he carried out his rounds.

‘Launched in 1929, the Rolls-Royce 20/25hp was powered by a 3669cc OHV straight-six engine allied to four-speed manual transmission.

‘Usefully faster than its 20hp predecessor, the model remained in production until 1936 by which time some 3,827 had been sold.

The car was a fixture in the village of Ditchling for six decades, and is now expected to sell for just £30,000

The vintage vehicle still has most of its original features – and the style of the pre-war era 

A spokesperson for H&H Classics said the 25 horsepower car has a 3669cc OHV straight-six vintage engine

A large amount of maintenance is needed to keep the old car in working condition, and it even comes with its own toolset for the task 

‘Capable of supporting a wide variety of coachwork, the 20/25hp’s substantial ladder frame chassis was equipped with all-round semi-elliptic leaf-sprung suspension, four-wheel drum brakes and a mechanical servo.

‘In its current family ownership for around 60 years and with connections to the ‘Forces Sweetheart’ Dame Vera Lynn, the very elegant and distinctive Black and Yellow 1931 Rolls Royce 20/25 is clothed in coachwork by Thrupp and Maberly Ltd.’

Dame Vera Lynn: Forces’ Sweetheart who boosted Britons’ morale in WWII

Dame Vera was born on March 20, 1917 in London and her singing career was already flourishing when war broke out in 1939.

She was awarded the title Forces’ Sweetheart following a poll in the Daily Express, and travelled thousands of miles – often at great personal risk – to entertain the troops.

She also had a BBC radio show on which she performed songs such as We’ll Meet Again, I’ll Be Seeing You, Wishing, and If Only I Had Wings.

Dame Vera became known as the Forces’ Sweetheart during WWII (she is pictured with a cardboard cut-out of her as a young woman

Dame Vera famously visited the Forgotten Fourteenth Army which was fighting the bitter Burma campaign, and in 1985 was awarded the Burma Star for her contribution to the war effort there.

When the war was over she retired from the stage and microphone to bring up her daughter, Virginia, at their home in Sussex, but she remained in demand.

She toured throughout the world, visiting the US, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Germany, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

Dame Vera once said: ‘I have never been terribly ambitious. I never wanted to be a Judy Garland or anything, and I wouldn’t change the way I used to sing.

‘If work came along I liked, I would do it. If it interfered with home life for too long or took me away, I wouldn’t.’

Dame Vera’s hits included We’ll Meet Again, I’ll Be Seeing You, Wishing and If Only I Had Wings (she is pictured in 1955) 

In 2002, she founded cerebral palsy charity the Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity, based in Billingshurst, West Sussex, which provides support and education for affected families.

She is involved with many other charities throughout the UK and beyond.

She has received accolades throughout her life, including an OBE in 1969, a DBE in 1975, and in 1978 she was given the Freedom of the City of London.  

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