大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by a volunteer (Maggie Smith) from WM CSV Action Desk on behalf of Raymond Meakin and has been added to the site with his permission. Raymond Meakin fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

During the war years, I lived in Edgbaston. In the winter of 1940/1941 our home was blitzed during an air raid in Birmingham (we lived on Bellbarn Road). My mother (Doris) died from burns three days later and my father was taken to hospital as well. My brother and I were under the stairs and escaped with only light scalp wounds and blast to the skin. I was ten years old at the time and my brother was five. We were taken to the ARP post where an aunt was notified and came to collect us. We had no shoes and our clothes were badly damaged. I did not see our mother again. My father came out of The Old Queen's Hopsital on Bath Row. The hospital was full of victims of the air raid. I was taken to Yardley by my aunt. Three nights later we were woken because an unexpoded bomb was found at the end of the road. We had to wait for the Royal Engineers to come and diffuse the bomb. I could not hear for a little while. The people I remember with a loving heart are the Salvation Army. They would always give you a sandwich and a drink. When my father came out of hospital, we were granted emergency housing in Northfield where I spent the rest of my war years before joining the Royal Air Force in 1946 at the age of eighteen.

I did some voluntary work as an older boy at a farm in Frankley. The farm belonged to the Rayboulds who had three sons who did all the work on the farm. We also looked after shire horses.

In the early years of the war, I was a pupil of St. Thomas's school which was being used as a clearance centre for refugees. We were taken to private houses in small groups where we were given a lesson from a teacher. She gave us homework which we returned to her two days later. After a period of time, we returned to St. Thomas's but there were many occasions when we had to take to shelters because of enermy air craft.

My father (Harold Meakin) served in the Homegaurd as he was unfit for military service. It was his way of doing his bit. He passed away while I was in the Royal Air Force due to kidney failure.

I am still living at Shenley, Northfield with my wife Barbara Meakin (nee Pope) of many years.

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