V.A.D. Phoebe (Phebe) Elizabeth Meadows 

Phoebe Elizabeth Meadows was the second daughter of Charles Meadows a mariner and Phoebe Elizabeth Sansum who married on 28 March 1881 at St Nicholas' Church Bristol. The couple initially lived at the Anchor Inn on Oldbury Street, Thornbury, where Phoebe's mother was innkeeper.

By 1885, they had relocated to nearby Oldbury. Following the births of a son and a daughter, their second daughter, registered as Phebe Elizabeth, was born on 26 September 1889. In the spring 1891 census Phoebe and her three children were residing at The Street in Oldbury at the home of George Collins. Although the return lists Phoebe as a "wife," this status referred to her husband, Charles, who was working as a crew member near Fretherne at the time, rather than to Mr Collins.

The family remained in Oldbury until at least 1896, by which time they had five children but when the next census return was made in 1901 Phoebe was living at Stambourne Hinton, nr Sharpness Gloucestershire and Charles was a night watchman at Sharpness Dock. Eleven year old Phebe would still have been attending school.

By 1911 the Meadows family had moved to The Lynch, Berkeley; only the two sons were at home with Phoebe, the three girls having left home to make their own way in life. Unfortunately, no record of 21 year old Phebe has been found on the 1911 census, though we do know that she had enrolled with the Red Cross in February 1910. In May 1915 Phebe was selected for service and posted to 4th Southern General Hospital at Plymouth, a busy 500 bed hospital on 17th May before being posted to France on 18 April 1917.

Phebe served in hospitals for almost three years, and would have endured difficult conditions during her time overseas. Her conduct and work was described as 'very good' in her Red Cross records. She became ill whilst in France and left the hospital where she was working on 26 April 1918 having contracted tuberculosis.

Back in the UK Phebe was transferred to a sanatorium where sadly, she died on 20 May 1918. She was 28 years old. Phebe was laid to rest in St. Arilda's Churchyard on 23 May and her death was announced in the Cheltenham Chronicle.

For her service to her country Phebe earned the British War Medal and the Victory Medal which were sent to her parents after the war.

Phebe's brother Charles served in the Army Service Corps in WW1 earning the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. The family was still living at The Lynch in 1921.

On 14 September 2016 Phebe was recognised as a casualty of war, thanks to the work of Chris Harley of the In From The Cold project.