PAVEL MATVEEVICH MESCHERYAKOV
1912 – 1989
The hero of the USSR
Pavel Meshcheryakov was born in the village of Partsy (Mordovia). He served in the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army in 1935 - 1937.Meshcheryakov was re-drafted into the army in May 1942. Since March 1943 - on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. He graduated from advanced training courses for command personnel in 1944. He was wounded in the battles.
By October 1943, Lieutenant Pavel Meshcheryakov was in command of an artillery platoon. On October 15, 1943, with an advance group, he crossed the Dnieper in the Loev area and took an active part in the battles to capture and hold the bridgehead on its western bank, destroying a large number of enemy firing points. For crossing the Dnieper and heroism shown in battles, on October 30, 1943, Lieutenant Pavel Meshcheryakov was awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Senior Lieutenant Pavel Meshcheryakov made his final military chord in the very heart of the enemy - in Berlin. In April 1945, he arrived in the 3rd Shock Army of the 1st Belorussian Front. Here he was appointed assistant chief of staff of artillery of the 79th Rifle Corps. More than once, with arms in hand, he gave a strong rebuff to the groups of the Nazis. For his distinction during the storming of Berlin, Senior Lieutenant Meshcheryakov was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War of the 2nd degree.
After the end of the war, Meshcheryakov continued to serve in the Soviet Army. He served as a senior officer for mobilization work, secret and special communications, head of the artillery arsenal regime department. Retired in 1967 with the rank of lieutenant colonel and for some time lived and worked in the city of Rybinsk, Yaroslavl region. At some point, he decided to move to his beloved heart of Belarus - to the city above the Sozh. Here he lived for over twenty years.
A memorial plaque to the Hero of the Soviet Union Meshcheryakov Pavel Matveyevich was installed in Gomel at the house at 2a Telman Street, Where he lived from 1967 to 1989.
Awards: the Order of Lenin, the Patriotic War of the 1st and 2nd degrees, two orders of the Red Star, a number of medals, incl. "Gold medal".