Dame Vera Lynn rings in her centenary with an album of old favourites bolstered with brand new duets.

Dame Vera Lynn will make history as the first singer to release a new album at the age of 100. A cherished wartime vocalist dubbed the “Forces’ Sweetheart”, she is remembered for lifting the spirits of the British during the Second World War.

To celebrate the milestone Vera Lynn 100 will feature newly orchestrated versions of her most beloved tracks, as well as recently unearthed recordings. It will be available March 17, three days before Lynn’s birthday, and released on Decca Records – the label that Lynn originally recorded with nearly 80 years ago, aged 22.

The new release arrives eight years after she became the oldest living artist to land a UK number one album. It also marks the singer’s 93 years in the industry – Lynn made her stage debut at the age of seven. She was made a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour last year for nearly eight decades of service to entertainment and charity.

Of the new album, Lynn said: “It’s truly humbling that people still enjoy these songs from so many years ago, reliving the emotions of that time – I was after all just doing my ‘job’ as a singer – and it’s so wonderful for me to hear ‘my songs’ again so beautifully presented in a completely new way”.

She is joined by a starry cast of British singers to perform newly-composed duet parts – Alfie Boe on We’ll Meet Again, Alexander Armstrong on White Cliffs of Dover, and Aled Jones on As Time Goes By.

Lynn has previously described the prospect of turning 100 as “an incredible adventure of song, dance, and friendship”.

Vera Lynn 100 is available from March 17 on Decca