Originally a farmer’s son from Staffordshire Flight Sergeant Edgar (Ed) Meddings became interested in planes after his brother took him to a flying display. From them on he knew he wanted to become a pilot.

Ed joined the air force in 1939 where he started as an armourer. After operational training in Bramcote, and transformative flight training in South Africa, he became a leading aircraftman and acting sergeant. Further opportunities led Ed to flying for a Wellington squadron, operating in Greece and Italy. Ed talks fondly about the camaraderie on the crew of his bomber, and remembers being shot at “pretty well every flight”, but also recalls never being hit.

After the war Ed became a link instructor and transporter planes pilot; a role which he continued until 1968 when he left the RAF and became a civil pilot.

Ed talks about his experiences dealing with the effects of war, including the death of a good friend and the distress at losing people close to him. However he remembers his war with stoicism, feeling lucky to have survived. His poignant reflection of the war was that “we did what we had to do”.