Coronavirus: Great-grandfather 'astonished' by wartime song response
- Published
We'll Meet Again: Thousands watch couple's song of hope
A great-grandfather whose rendition of We'll Meet Again has had more than one million page views said he is "astonished" by the response.
Rex Taylor, 86, put the video of himself and his wife Selina singing on Facebook to cheer up family members.
But it has now been viewed more than a million times, with messages of support pouring in from people quarantined as far afield as Greece and California.
Mr Taylor, from Ripley in Derbyshire, said he was happy to make others smile.
'It's gone barmy'
"This is the power of the internet - it's gone barmy," Mr Taylor said.
"We're going through some very, very tough times, it is absolutely scary.
"I think we have done a lot of people a lot of good - if it's put a smile on someone's face that's brilliant."
Mr Taylor is a full-time carer for his 83-year-old wife, who he met when he gave her his seat on a crowded bus when she was 19 and he was 22.
Of his wife Selina, Mr Taylor said: "I love this woman, it does not matter - she is the most important thing"
They now have five children, 11 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren but cannot see them because of the quarantine.
His wife has Alzheimer's disease and sometimes forgets who her children are, but he said she had not forgotten the words to the Vera Lynn classic and singing calmed her down.
He decided to record a song for the family and the title made it an appropriate choice.
To the many who have watched the video, Mr Taylor said: "Keep your chin up - we are going to come out of this and we will be in a better place"
His son Rob has helped him with the technical side and has been reading the responses to his father, who has poor eyesight.
He said: "It's been a mad week, I never expected anything like this. Dad is loving it.
"I think it has gone so far because people of any age group can relate to it, because of their parents or people they have lost - it touches everyone."
Mr Taylor, 43, said a fan page had been set up for his father to add more songs, as well as a JustGiving page to raise money for the NHS.
A second song, the couple's version of Paul Anka's Put Your Head on My Shoulder, has since been published.
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- Published30 March 2020
