The history of the Second World War is often written as if all the acts of heroism were performed by men.

But millions of women played a vital effort in ensuring Hitler was defeated and the people of Britain could be free.

Few did more than Dame Vera Lynn, the Forces Sweetheart, who performed a necessary role in lifting national morale during the darkest days of the war.

Now the singer, who lives in Ditchling, has joined a campaign for a memorial to the women of the Second World War.

Some of them were in the services but many more worked on the buses, in the factories, in ambulances or in the Land Army.

The memorial, costing up to £700,000, will be placed in Whitehall, provided all the money can be raised and planning permission is granted.

It will be a fitting tribute, 60 years after the worst time in that conflict, to the work of those unsung heroines.