“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 is a dedicated father and former husband to wife Anne Raymond.

Following Raymond's successful career in the RAF, he went on to become a Chartered Accountant.

The four years which Raymond spent serving in the RAF have granted him access to the RAF Benevolent Fund’s Welfare Support Services.

Which includes a weekly Telephone Friendship Group call, whereby Raymond can get support from likeminded ex-serving RAF veterans.

Raymond said: “I decided that I wanted to do a career in the RAF. I wanted to be a driver. So, I’d signed on for four years and I came up to the end of my contract in March 1957.My success as a Chartered Accountant is thanks to the experience I’d had in the RAF in those four years."

"One night in 1986 I went to a cottage hospital called Lowestoft. This lady came and sat down by my side, and she was quite nice. And that was Anne. 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 looks back on his past with Anne by sharing his splendid memories of her with fellow retired RAF veterans.

He continued: “Every week on a Thursday at 11 o’clock we have this 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.”

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 Hackney with my three siblings. My dad died when I was just three months old. Normally the midwife would deliver babies at home but my mother gave birth to me in a hospital. It meant she had to pay a bill of £3.69.”

Having watched his widowed mother struggle to make ends meet, Raymond was not only happy to pursue a career in the RAF but also took part in service pay-day giving. Offering a small portion of his wages towards the RAF Benevolent Fund.

He said: “The RAF Benevolent Fund is fantastic. I’ve always admired the work they do.”

Raymond benefits hugely from being a member of one of our Telephone Friendship Groups, saying: “I think the Telephone Friendship Groups are perfect. I joined in 2021 during the lockdown. It was nice to be able to talk to people and to exchange views with people in other parts of the UK. You get to know what they did in the RAF or about the lives of their spouses. The groups bring together people who wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity to socialise, all with the commonality of being part of the RAF Family.”

He added: “I lost my wife six years ago. Ever since I’ve been conscious of missing all the fun I used to have with her. I miss her every day.

My Telephone Friendship Group helps replace part of what I had with her.”