East Preston veteran’s final adventure to collect war honours

James ‘Jim’ Murray, of Somerset Road, in East Preston, has been hailed by the Russian Government for his service supporting troops on the Eastern Front.

The 87-year-old great-great-grandfather-of-one was part of the Arctic Convoy helping to transport crucial supplies to Russia during the Second World War.

Jim said: “I was pleased to get the medal. I am not ashamed of what I did. It was just an adventure.”

Jim joined the Navy Army and Air Force Institute (NAAFI) at the tender age of 16.

After training in Scotland he was posted to join the Arctic Convoy, aged 17.

“I volunteered to join NAAFI but I definitely didn’t volunteer for the convoy,” he recounted. “But at that age, everything was just a big adventure.”

It certainly was not all plain sailing for the teenage Jim.

During his voyage he was forced to deal with the ever-present danger of German U-Boats, which were sinking convoy ships throughout his area of operations.

“That was quite hair-raising,” Jim admitted.

It took 70 years for Jim to get his medal.

The Foreign Office initially did not allow Russia to honour the veterans as it broke the rules on foreign medals.

However, the Russian embassy stressed the convoys allowed Russian soldiers to defeat the Germans on the Eastern Front and that they wanted to praise the veterans’ valour.