Born over a fish and chip shop in Rochdale she went on to become the highest-paid entertainer of her time and whenever she was in Southampton everyone wanted to see "Our Gracie''.

To the people of Britain Dame Gracie Fields was more than a singer, she became a national treasure who did much to inspire the country in troubled times, such as the war years of 1939 to 1945.

Throughout her life Gracie was a regular visitor to Southampton when she joined or disembarked the great transatlantic liners or flew to and from her island home of Capri in one of the locally-based flying boats.

In the dark days of 1941 Gracie was doing her bit on the home front by entertaining factory workers with lunchtime concerts across the land.

Due to wartime restrictions the Daily Echo was only allowed to say that Gracie had appeared at a factory "somewhere on the south coast'' which in fact was Southampton, although exactly which work place has been forgotten over the decades.

"From the moment she bounded up on the little stage and greeted the big audience with a hearty Hello!' she was the same good old Gracie, earnest, unspoilt and natural,'' reported the Daily Echo at the time.

The audience would have gladly kept their Gracie singing all the afternoon but there was work to be done and she had to go to Portsmouth for another show.

For the previous five weeks Gracie had been giving an average of three shows a day, Sundays included.

She had sung in shipyards, in factories all over Britain, in garrison theatres, in lonely military outposts and even in the streets.

"It's all been grand!'' Gracie told the Daily Echo. "I'd love to be able to go on with this tour, but I've got to get back to America to open another tour.

"My last little jaunt around America and Canada brought in £72,000 for charities and they assure me that the next one's going to bring in more.'' Since the war started Gracie had not earned a penny. "I've earned money but not for myself. It's all been sent back home to do some good for others.

"Eh, lad, I'll be glad when the war is over and we don't get mucked around so much. Besides, I could do wi' a bit of brass now!'' In November of 1978 she was inviteds to be the surprise item at the end of the Royal Variety Performance, where she sang her trademark song Sally for the last time.

There was not a dry eye in the theatre and she received a standing ovation.

In July, 1979, a few months after being made Dame Gracie Fields, she became ill with pneumonia but managed to return to her home in Capri where she died in September of that year.

She was buried on her island home and the common touch prevailing to the end, her pall bearers were all local waiters from her restaurant.