An 89-year-old second world war veteran from Bushey has been awarded a medal by the Russian government.

Stan Parker, of Rudolph Road, has received the Ushakov medal for his service in protecting aid convoys to northern Russia.

The medal symoblises the brave journey taken by soldiers to deliver essential supplies such as food, clothing, fuel and ammunition to Russia. The convoys were escorted by navy ships, who were constantly under threat by German U-boats and Luftwaffe.

At the awards ceremony, Russian ambassador to the UK, Alexander Yakovenko thanked the arctic convoy veterans for the "invaluable contribution" they made to the defeat of Nazi Germany.

He said: "What you did 70 years ago, taking part in what Sir Winston Churchill rightly called the worst journey in the world, was extraordinary.

"Thousands of allied seamen lost their lives as British ships sailed in the unwelcoming, stormy waters of the Arctic ocean under a constant threat of being attacked.

"Your heroism will always be remembered in Russia and Britain."

Mr Paker, who joined the navy when he was 18, received his medal at the beginning of September.

He said: "I am very proud and honoured that I have been awarded this medal. I have always considered myself to have been lucky to have made it back in one piece."

Recalling his time in the war, Mr Parker said he was on the HMS Zodiac destroyer, which left England for Murmansk on July 8, 1944.

"I was the ship butcher and I had to do all the chopping of the meat on the upper deck for the crew. But it was that cold, that you had to have gloves on at all times otherwise you'd either get frostbites, or if you touch the metal rails, your hands would stick to it instantly."

"The captain also used to send some of the crew with pickaxes to break the ice - when the water sprayed on to the ship it froze instantly, and you had to get rid of it before more sprayed in order to stop the ship from turning over."

He continued: "Being on a destroyer meant distracting the Germans from attacking us. We'd use smoke to confuse the enemy and drop depth chargers into the ocean to force the U-boats deeper in so they couldn't attack us.

"And when you do find yourself under attack, I think what goes through everyones mind is self preservation and the hope of just getting through and doing your duty."

Mr Parker's children, Ian Parker, 53, and Debbie Reichmann, 56, say they and all their family are very proud of him.