'Strong-willed' Portsmouth Second World War hero dies aged 106 as family pay tribute to 'lovely' man

A heroic Second World War veteran who served his country with pride has died at the age of 106.

John Meacham, known as Jack to his family and those who knew him, passed away from natural causes surrounded by loving family members. His funeral is scheduled at Portchester Crematorium on Thursday (June 4), with current and former Royal Navy sailors ready to pay tribute to him.

Grandson Greg Meacham said the family could not be prouder of Jack’s service and it would be an honour for people to come and pay their respects. He told The News: “I know he would have hated the fuss, but from our side, he absolutely deserves the tribute for him. We’re massively proud of his service.

“He’s a war hero and the loveliest man you would ever meet. He would do anything for anyone. His drive was amazing, and a lot of people can look at him and learn from it.”

War stories and settling in Portsmouth

Jack grew up in Aldershot and later moved to Portsmouth due to his naval career. He stayed after the war and raised his family in the city. Greg said his grandad reached the rank of Chief Steward during a tenure spanning from 1938 to 1952.

“He liked telling stories and was very humble about it,” he added. “He didn’t want any fuss about serving in the war. He would hate all this happening on Thursday. He was a modest man and would talk about people he knew in the war and friends he lost. Many of the stories he told were quite unbelievable.”

Greg said he remembers Jack telling him about a lucky escape during the 1940s when he was near the offices opposite Portsmouth Dockyard in Queen Street which were bombed by the Nazis.

“The bomb went through the roof and down a few floors, but never detonated,” Greg said. “I always remember him saying he was a ‘lucky man’ on that day. If it had gone off, a lot of people would have died.”

Greg also remembers a tale of Jack and his shipmates coming face to face with an Italian destroyer. “I remember him saying that could have wiped him out,” he added. “They fired warning shots at them and the Italians ran off. I think he always wanted to join the Royal Navy. He said it was the best thing he has ever done. He absolutely loved it.”

Following his service, Jack primarily worked as an electrician and maintenance worker. He raised his son John - who would go on to have Greg and his brother Kevin . His wife Peggy passed away in 1989. Jack would then have a long-term relationship with his partner Jan before she died four years ago aged 105.

Old age didn’t stop Jack from being committed to helping others. He would continue to do handyman jobs for the Harry Sotnick House care home in Cranleigh Avenue well into his 100s. “He wanted to keep busy,” Greg added. “Up until the age of 105, he was living independently. That was amazing about him.”

Greg said Jack would go to Commercial Road, do his own shopping, and cook his own dinner while not letting the rest of the family lend a hand. Jack used to cook for his son, who visited five times a week. His resilience knew no bounds. On June 6 last year, the day before his wedding, Greg was told by paramedics that his grandad needed end of life care. The next day in hospital, he was sat up in bed with a cup of tea wishing his grandson the best of luck with the ceremony. He caught Covid and had a chest infection.

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Jack also had to deal with several emotional challenges later in life.

Greg said: “Being 105 and seeing his son pass away, he was distraught. The family then jumped in to help, but he wouldn’t let us cook for him and begrudgingly allowed us to do his shopping for him. I remember taking my grandad to Harry Sotnick House where Jan was during Covid. They were sitting outside holding hands. It was the most heart-breaking thing I’d ever seen, both of them wanting to be closer to each other.”

Jack was given several honours for his service during the war. This included being the recipient of the Arctic Star medal, instituted in December 2012, for being involved in the perilous Arctic convoys. The veteran passed away on May 9, 2026. “He was a proud man, very strong-willed,” Greg said. “Sometimes stubborn, fiercely independent, and a very good cook. He made me and my wife braised beef once and that was the best thing I’ve ever had.”

A callout was made by The Searson Family Funeral Service for military personnel and the public to line the route to the crematorium. Two platoons of sailors from HMS Collingwood and HMS Excellent answered the call and will be involved in the procession, alongside standard bearers.

Funeral director Debi Searson said: “My thanks to Jon from the royal naval association for the hard work of contacting people and putting this online which has resulted in such a lovely response from so many people. It is our pleasure to look after such wonderful people and their families and an honour to try and give people the best send off possible.

“Anyone else who has helped then Jacks family and all of us at Searsons would like to express our sincere thanks.”