The time a Maltese RAF officer sang with the forces’ sweetheart Vera Lynn

Loreto York, the first Maltese mayor of an Australian city, was among 50 Royal Air Force officers and airmen who sang backing vocals on a popular postwar Vera Lynn song.

Born as Loreto Meilak in Sliema in 1918, he later decided to change his name to York while he was stationed in London as a RAF officer. 

York, known for his sense of humour and wit, had a colourful life. Apart from being the first Maltese to be elected mayor of an Australian city, and being stationed in the likes of Egypt and Sudan, at the age of 31, he was among a group of men picked to sing with British singer Vera Lynn at Broadhurst Gardens for the recording of Auf Wiedersheh’n, Sweetheart.

Lynn was a famous singer and entertainer, best known for her performances during World War II, and is well known for her tracks ‘We’ll Meet Again’ and ‘A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square’. The track, Auf Wiedersheh’n, Sweetheart later reached number one on the US billboard chart in 1952.

Loreto, aged 87, with his WWII medals. Photo: Barry Young

In a Facebook post, York’s son Barry shared details of his father’s recording session with Lynn and the other servicemen.

“Dad always remembered the recording session with amusement. He said the men sang so well on the first take that the musical director stopped them and told them to do it again, this time sounding less polished and more like ordinary servicemen having a singalong over a few drinks. The whole point was to capture the spirit of camaraderie and relief that people felt at the end of the war.”

Speaking to Times of Malta, Barry recalled writing to Lynn in 2009, when his father’s health was rapidly declining, in the hope that a personal message from the Forces’ Sweetheart would lift his spirits.

The signed photographer by Dame Vera Lynn to Loreto. Photo: Barry York

"I told her about my father’s background and war record, and how he was one of the men chosen for a backing group recorded at Decca’s studio in Broadhurst Gardens, London,” he said.

The autographed photo arrived weeks after York died on October 5, at the age of 90, after a five-month battle with cancer. 

“I wrote back to her to thank her and explain that he had passed away. She wrote to me to express condolences.”

‘Cup of tea and one pound each’

Barry recalled a conversation with his father about recording the song in 1948, while York was stationed in London. He said his father and the other men had a training session before the first recording.

His father said the group was so successful that it was called back a few weeks later to record another track. When Barry asked if the airmen got paid, he recalled his father laughing and saying: 

“They gave us a cup of tea, two biscuits and one pound each, that is all.” 

Loreto Meilak with his mother in Malta, around 1935. Photo: Barry York

He said his father even shared a few words with Lynn, as she asked him where he was stationed during the war.

Every time he hears the song, Barry thinks of his father and his small part in that moment of history. 

“It’s incredible to think that my father’s voice is somewhere there, in the backing group, on the record,” he added.