Post by ARCTIC MEDALS on Oct 10, 2016 11:03:43 GMT
'When you're 18 you think you're invincible' says modest WWII hero commended for Arctic Convoy role
Sandy Sweeting was on the HMS Norfolk the day the German ship the Scharnhorst sank.
A war veteran has received a medal for his service in the Arctic Convoy - what Churchill called “the worst journey in the world”.
Sandy Sweeting was 18 and serving in the Royal Navy in 1943 when he was caught in a deadly battle that killed several of his comrades.
He has now received the Arctic Convoy medal, also known as the Arctic Star, that is awarded specifically to those who served north of the Arctic Circle.
On Christmas Day 1943, German ship the Scharnhorst, along with several destroyers, sailed out from Norway to attack Russia-bound Arctic convoys.
The British Navy anticipated the attack, and a battle ensued during snow storms in the seas of northern Norway.
On Boxing Day afternoon, the Scharnhorst was sunk. It was a monumental victory for the allied forces.