Lady Angela Forbes, by Dorothy Wilding (1921)

Forces Sweetheart (or Forces' Sweetheart) is an accolade given to entertainers, actors and singers originally in the United Kingdom who have become a favourite of soldiers in the

British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, s ...

, though the term is used in other countries. The role of being a favourite among armed forces personnel started during World War I. During this time, novelist Lady Angela Forbes was considered a "Forces Sweetheart" as a catering organiser for the British army from November 1914."Sweetheart we love you!"
''Daily Express''. Retrieved 30 December 2012 The British Soldiers' Buffets, nicknamed "Angelinas", met every train of wounded as it arrived and were often open 24 hours a day, and food never ran out. Following her, actress and singer

Elsie Janis Elsie Janis (born Elsie Bierbower, March 16, 1889 – February 26, 1956) was an American actress of stage and screen, singer, songwriter, screenwriter and radio announcer. Entertaining the troops during World War I immortalized her as "Forces ...

was called The Sweetheart of the American Expeditionary Forces. Vera Lynn (1962)

Examples

British forces' sweethearts

During World War II, the term "forces' sweetheart" was most commonly associated with Vera Lynn, (whose singing (" (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover" and " We'll Meet Again" brought great happiness to many in Britain); others included

Gracie Fields Dame Gracie Fields (born Grace Stansfield; 9 January 189827 September 1979) was an English actress, singer, comedian and star of cinema and music hall who was one of the top ten film stars in Britain during the 1930s and was considered the h ...

and Anne Shelton. Present-day sweethearts for the British forces include

Nell McAndrew Tracey Jane McAndrew (born 6 November 1973), known as Nell McAndrew, is an English glamour model, TV presenter and fitness trainer. She is also an accomplished amateur athlete, with a marathon personal best time of 2:54:39. Early life McAndrew wa ...

Katherine Jenkins Katherine Maria Jenkins (born 29 June 1980) is a Welsh singer. She is a mezzo-soprano and performs operatic arias, popular songs, musical theatre, and hymns.Kirsten Orsborn Kirsten is both a given name and a surname. Given name Kirsten is a female given name. It is a Scandinavian form of the names Christina and Christine.Cheryl Cole. In 2011 London drag queen Richard Rhodes became the first man to be awarded the title. Frances Langford circa 1946

United States

Frances Langford, an actress and singer, whose husband served as assistant secretary of the United States Air Force under president Harry Truman, was billed as the "Singing Sweetheart of the Fighting Fronts" from World War II to the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

Commonwealth countries

Actress Lorrae Desmond, who was at that time best known a singer and recording artist, performed along fellow vocalists Little Patti, Normie Rowe, Dinah Lee and numerous others as the "forces's sweetheart in Australia" when troops were stationed in Vietnam. Desmond herself toured Vietnam, the Middle East, Malaysia, Singapore, Kenya and Somalia.

Literature

* Joanna Lumley. ''Forces Sweethearts''. *Eric Taylor. ''Forces Sweethearts: Service romances in World War II''. London: Hale *

Chantelle Fiddy Chantelle Fiddy is a British journalist, columnist, event promoter and music industry professional. She is well known as a commentator on London's grime scene and as a social activist as the former editor of Ctrl.Alt.Shift. She is currently con ...

. ''My Life on the Front''.

References

External links

Women in World War II
{{Vera Lynn, state=collapsed British culture * * Women in 21st-century warfare Royal Air Force Nicknames in film Nicknames in music