CAPTAIN Sir Tom Moore says there will always be a place in his heart for Dame Vera Lynn ahead of her funeral today.

The Keighley-born man, who raised more than £30 million with a charity 100-lap walking challenge leading up to his milestone birthday, remembered the Force’s sweetheart, who died last month aged 103.

Captain Sir Tom received a letter from Dame Vera Lynn following his fundraising feat, which took the world by storm earlier in the coronavirus pandemic.

Dame Vera will be honoured with a Spitfire flypast in her beloved Sussex village before her funeral later today.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Captain Sir Tom Moore celebrating his 100th birthday in April Captain Sir Tom Moore celebrating his 100th birthday in April

The adored singer, who entertained troops with morale-boosting visits to the front line during the Second World War.

Crowds are expected to gather in the picturesque village of Ditchling on Friday, where she lived, to say goodbye to their "special local lady".

The cortege will leave her family home and pause at the crossroads in the centre of the village to allow residents to pay their respects.

At about midday, a Spitfire and a Hurricane - two of the most famous aircraft from the war - will soar over the village as a show of respect for Dame Vera.

Appearing on Good Morning Britain today, Captain Sir Tom, also remembered meeting Dame Vera in Burma while serving during the Second World War.

He said: “She appeared out of the bush with people with her.

“She was this lovely English girl in Khaki.

“She was a great person to give us a lot more confidence and we were very very pleased to see her.

“I was thrilled to get a letter from her, congratulating me eon the money I had raised.

“She was always so nice and I will always have a soft place in my heart for Dame Vera and it was a sad day when she died.”

He added that he has not had too much time to rest since completing his charity challenge as there is too much to do.

Meanwhile, Captain Sir Tom also spoke about the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

It was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force, the Luftwaffe.

The Battle of Britain was one of the defining moments of the Second World War and the Nazis’ first defeat.

He added: “The Battle of Britain was a great occasion, it showed our air was one of the best in the world.

“There were an awful lot of casualties and you have to smile at the end of the day.”