Post by ADMIN K on Nov 13, 2015 14:30:24 GMT
Second World War sailor to get medal after 70-year wait:
The long wait is almost over for RN war veteran James Martin.
The 90-year-old served on the Russian convoys during the Second World War, helping to take food, tanks, armoured vehicles, ammunition and other vital items to Russia.
“It shows that the Russian government and the people appreciated what the sailors in the convoys did. A lot of the sailors didn’t come back.”
Mr Martin was a stoker on board HMS Offa which ran the gauntlet of German warplanes and U-boats.
During the trips, 87 merchant ships and 16 British war ships were sunk.
The sailors in the convoy could not accept a medal from the Russian government after the war and were instead given the Atlantic Star - even though it was a separate campaign 80 miles away.
The British sailors were eventually given the Arctic Star, a full campaign medal, in 2013.
And now Mr Martin will finally be able to add the Ushakov medal to his collection.