Arctic convoy award music to hero's ears
A hero of the Arctic convoys has finally received an award for his wartime bravery, more than 70 years on.
And Ivan Hall used the event to dig out a reminder of his ordeal – a mandolin he bought when his merchant ship was icebound in the Russian port of Archangel for six months from December 1941.
Mr Hall, 90, from Ludlow, dug out the mandolin from his loft after being told he was to get the Arctic Star and took it with him when he joined veterans to receive the medal. The poignant ceremony was held on the shores of Loch Ewe, the starting point for the perilous convoys to Russia during the Second World War.
The commemorations also involved the laying of wreaths at the memorial to the seamen who were lost on what Winston Churchill called "the worst journey in the world".
The convoys taking war materials to help Russia fight Germany were under constant threat of attack from U-boats, aircraft, and surface vessels. More than 3,000 men died.
Mr Hall served in the Merchant Navy on SS St Clears on one of the first convoys and recounted his experiences in a book called Christmas in Archangel.
Speaking from Scotland, he said: "It's hard to describe the memories that come back. I am amazed we are regarded so highly and people want to remember what we did. It is very humbling. We just went out there and did what we had to do.
"When we got to the ice sea it was frozen over. The icebreakers dragged us towards Archangel but we were frozen in. We were in a very grim place, but one of the sailors found a shop which sold musical instruments. So we made a band. I learned to play the Russian mandolin while I was there and we played some songs.
"I just found the instrument in my loft. It has been stored in there for about 70 years."
Mr Hall was also due to read extracts from his book at Gairloch as part of the commemorations. Originally from Darlaston in the West Midlands, he joined the Merchant Navy in January 1939 as a 16-year-old apprentice seaman, and served on a freighter plying to South American ports.
Later he joined the St Clears, and it was with this ship that he sailed to Russia in November 1941. During its enforced stay at Archangel the temperature fell to -40C.
His luck ran out when sailing near the North African coast in 1943 on a different ship which was torpedoed and sank in 20 minutes. Mr Hall was slightly wounded by splinters, but there were no fatalities.
Mr Hall became a teacher after the war, and taught for 10 years at Ludlow CofE Secondary Modern School at Lower Galdeford, which he joined in 1952.
He joined around 40 veterans gathered at the mouth of Loch Ewe in Wester Ross for the service and to receive medals.
They particular remembered one of the veterans, Jock Dempster, who led the campaign for the Arctic convoy veterans to be awarded a medal only to die, aged 85, days before he was due to receive it.
Another veteran joining Mr Hall at the event, Glaswegian Bill Bannerman, was 18 when he joined the Navy in 1942. Now 89, he says he had no idea at the time what he and his comrades would face.
"We were all young and none of us realised how dangerous it was," he said. "We had a job to do, so we just got on with it. At 18, you think you can beat the devil.
