Post by KG: on Dec 3, 2013 18:05:37 GMT
A BRITISH WAR hero living in Cyprus was finally able to accept a special Russian medal for bravery after a Government U-turn.
John Herd was part of an Arctic convoy which braved perilous conditions to deliver vital supplies to Russia during the Second World War.
Now 88, Mr Herd was one of about 200 men who will awarded the Ushakov Medal for his bravery.
When the awards were announced last year the British Government intervened, telling the remaining heroes they could not accept the medal.
But the Government has now done a U-turn and the ex-soldiers have been handed their Russian ribbons.
More than 3,000 men died in the freezing waters of the Arctic in the convoys, as the British transported supplies to their allies in the Soviet Union as part of Operation Dervish.
Earlier this year Mr Hale was presented with an Arctic Star campaign medal by the British Government.
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John Herd was part of an Arctic convoy which braved perilous conditions to deliver vital supplies to Russia during the Second World War.
Now 88, Mr Herd was one of about 200 men who will awarded the Ushakov Medal for his bravery.
When the awards were announced last year the British Government intervened, telling the remaining heroes they could not accept the medal.
But the Government has now done a U-turn and the ex-soldiers have been handed their Russian ribbons.
More than 3,000 men died in the freezing waters of the Arctic in the convoys, as the British transported supplies to their allies in the Soviet Union as part of Operation Dervish.
Earlier this year Mr Hale was presented with an Arctic Star campaign medal by the British Government.
LINK