“My Telephone Friendship Group helps replace part of what I had with my wife who passed away”
Commending the RAF Benevolent Fund for the support offered to him, following the passing of his late wife, Anne – Raymond remembers the pleasure of meeting his beloved and becoming a father of eight after serving the RAF as a driver.
RAF veteran Raymond Harris, 87, credits his four years of service with giving him the discipline necessary to become a dedicated father and husband.
Raymond dedicated four years to the RAF as a driver, which has given him access to the RAF Benevolent Fund’s welfare support services, including a weekly Telephone Friendship Group call whereby Raymond has regular conversations with likeminded RAF veterans.
Raymond said: “One night in 1986, I was at a little-known cottage hospital and this lady came and sat down by my side, and she was quite nice. And that was Anne.”
He continued: “She was divorced, and I was separated, and we married in 1990. We have eight children in total; she had five and I had three, and that became our family. Anne had always suffered from some medical problems and unfortunately, she died in 2016. I miss her every day. As well as the RAF, she made me a different person, I can give her that praise. Having lost Anne, I felt that I wasn’t operating at my normal level.”
Now a widower, Raymond enjoys looking back on his past with Anne by sharing his memories of her with fellow retired RAF veterans and members of the RAF Family during his weekly telephone calls: “Somebody had told me about the RAF Benevolent Fund that they had these ‘conference calls’ as I call them. So, every week on a Thursday at 11 o’clock, we have a phone call.”
“It gives you an outlet for talking about things that are happening to you but nevertheless you can give support to the other people. All these things make the difference between being lonely and being able to talk to people who have got similar characteristics and experiences to your own, having served in the RAF.”
Since my wife died, I’ve been conscious of missing all the inter-connections I used to have with her. My Telephone Friendship Group helps replace part of what I had with her. I'm very grateful to the Fund for the groups. It brings together people who wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity to socialise, all with the commonality of being part of the RAF Family.”
Raymond joined the RAF in February 1952 during the Cold War and served as a truck driver from the age of 17. Shortly thereafter took place the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, which Raymond recalls as an event that marked his commitment and desire to serve on behalf of his country.
Having lost his father at the age of just three months, Raymond believes that he benefited tremendously from the support, discipline and direction that he was under as a member of the RAF Family – and feels that the RAF served him as a father would their son.
The 87-year-old said: “I had a very difficult life. I grew up in East London, Hackney, with my three siblings. My dad died when I was just three months old and my mother gave birth to me in a hospital, which was unusual in those days, because normally the midwife would deliver babies at home. So being born in the hospital it meant she had to pay a bill of £3.69, which might not sound like a lot today, but back then [it was a lot], and after having lost my father, it meant we were off to a bad start.”
Having experienced financial struggles in his lifetime, Raymond was happy to participate as an RAF serviceman to service pay-day giving, offering a small proportion of his wages towards the RAF Benevolent Fund.
He said: “The RAF Benevolent Fund is fantastic. I’ve always admired the work they do. To those people who have generously given to the RAF Benevolent Fund, I say, thank you.”