IN FEBRUARY 1943, 17-year-old Basil King marched into the Royal Navy’s recruitment centre in Oxford to volunteer for the war effort.

More than 72 years later the 89-year-old has finally been recognised by the Russian Embassy for courage and bravery in helping Russia defeat the Nazis.

The Kennington man worked on HMS Caprice on three Arctic convoys, taking ammunition, food, fuel and fighter planes to North Russia to aid the Soviet Union during the Second World War.

The grandfather-of-five is to be awarded an Ushakov Medal for his efforts at Oxford Town Hall next week.

Mr King said: “I would have liked it a lot sooner – there’s not many of us left anymore – but it’s always nice to receive recognition for what we did.

“I think of all those chaps who died on the convoys to help the Russians defeat the Nazis. What recognition do they get?”

He added: “I don’t know how many others will be invited but I’m looking forward to it.”

Between August 1941 and May 1945 there were 78 convoys involving more than 1,400 merchant ships delivering essential supplies from the UK, Iceland and America to the northern most parts of Russia.

It was not until December 2012 that an Arctic Star medal was established for British Commonwealth servicemen who served on the convoys.

It followed a 16-year campaign led by war veterans for recognition for undertaking a trip Sir Winston Churchill once described as “the worst journey in the world”.

In October 2006 more than 5,000 veterans were awarded the Arctic Emblem before the campaign for a medal finally won out several years later.

In 2013 the British government made an exception to the rule forbidding medals from other countries being awarded to its troops for the Ushakov Medal.

A telegraphist on board Caprice, Mr King also worked as a high-frequency direction finder detecting U-boats when they surfaced.

His job was to intercept U-boat transmissions to Berlin just before they fired and communicate with aircraft carriers.

He said: “At times I was on watch four hours on, four hours off, and when we were called to action stations we were on duty the whole time so there was no time to sleep or eat – life could be pretty difficult.

“The convoys took about 10 days and by day eight or nine the bread was pretty manky – we would have to scrape out the green mouldy centre and have jam on crust.”

The former pressed steel worker said at the time he did not know why they were out at sea.

He said: “We were just following orders.

“We just had to make sure the ships got there safely – we didn’t know what we were doing.

Oxford Mail:
Flashback: Basil, right, on Christmas Day 1944 with his cousin Bill Lewis, left, and friend John Crabb

“You just had to concentrate on your particular job.”

He added: “I can honestly say my four years in the Navy was the best time of my life, even though it was dangerous and despite the fact we lost our sister ship and many men.

“I was never terrified. I think we had a confidence in the ship and the captain.

“I knew other ships were going to be hit but I just thought it’s not going to happen to us. I think it was the folly of youth. I was only 19.”