A LOCAL war veteran was among a group of men honoured for their bravery on Russian convoys during the Second World War at a ceremony in Jersey last month.
George Wells, 87, from Stoford, was one of 12 Royal Navy veterans who received the medal from the Russian Embassy to mark the 65th anniversary of the end of the war. Colonel Mikhail Klimuk said the medals marked the gratitude which Russia felt towards them for their part in taking essential food, weapons and other supplies to their country during a very difficult time.
The honour coincided with the men's annual reunion of the North Russia Club at the Westhill Country Hotel in Jersey. The members of the club first visited the hotel more than 20 years ago when invited by hotelier Bob Smale, who had served on the Russian convoys on HMS Westcott, and it has continued annually ever since.
Mr Wells served in the Royal Navy from 1942-46 and picked up Russian convoys in 1943. He said the weather was the worst enemy and the constant risk of being torpedoed.
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