Lillington war hero receives Arctic Star honour after 65 years

Ninety-two-year-old Bill Perks, of Buckley Road, received his Arctic Star medal on Saturday, some 68 years after the Second World War ended.

The veteran, who was 17 when he volunteered to join the navy, had battled against fierce weather conditions on the HMS Walker Destroyer to carry supplies to the Russians during the war. With only sea boots, sea stockings and a duffle coat to keep him warm and a hammock to sleep in, the teenager completed seven convoys - and his memory of those experiences is as vivid today as ever.

The grandfather-of-five said: “We were taking the most essential supplies. That’s why the Russians to this day cannot thank England enough. If it had not been for those supplies, the Russians would have never come out of the war.”

During one of the convoys Mr Perks was on, a ship was torpedoed and only 43 of the 116 people on board survived. Mr Perks was part of the team that rescued 22 of the survivors.

During another convoy, Mr Perks witnessed an officer falling overboard. He said: “We did not see him anymore. We searched for him, but after three minutes, you know they are dead. The cold weather would take you.

“The boats iced up and you had to chip the ice off everything or it would get top-heavy and you would topple over.

“Then you got waves in the region of 40 to 60 feet high. You would try to look up and you would not be able to see anything but water.”

When asked if he ever thought he was going to die, Mr Perks said “many a time”, but he added: “You didn’t think about what you were doing. I was a young lad. I didn’t like it, but I didn’t think much about dying.

“In some respects, when the convoys were over, I was glad. But looking back, while doing it, you’re not on your own - you have all your mates round you. To keep the cold out, we would have a big mug of cocoa.”

After the war, Mr Perks, who had served as a fireman before joining the navy, worked as a lorry driver and in the automotive industry.

But all these years he has continued to hope that he may receive the recognition for his service as an Arctic convoy.

He said: “It’s a long time to have waited. We thought we were never going to get it.

“It arrived on the Queen’s birthday. She gave me a present!

“I lost my wife three months ago, so she never saw this.”

Mr Perks is among the veterans to have received a letter from the Russian Embassy to inform them it intended to award the Medal of Ushakov as a symbol of the country’s gratitude. But the move was blocked by the UK Government, which created the Arctic Star medal this year.

Mr Perks said: “I feel a bit annoyed about that. But when the Russians can turn round and look at you as a saviour - that’s what makes me proud.”