A World War Two veteran from Watford has been honoured with a medal from Russia for his service in the dangerous Arctic Convoy mission.

Roy Andrews, 94, of Kelmscott Close, was presented with his medal at a ceremony in the Russian Embassy last week.

Mr Andrews served in the Defensively Equipped Merchant Shipping (DEMS) service and completed two treacherous trips across freezing waters to north Russia to supply British allies with ammunition and explosives.

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He said: "We worked under temperatures of -23 Celsius. During my second trip, I was just 24 at the time, we went on the white sea to Murmansk. There was so much ice we couldn’t move, ice breakers had to come and cut our way through."

Seventy years after the mission, Mr Andrews has been presented with a Ushakov medal for his bravery in risking life and limb to get vital supplies to blockaded Russia in what Winston Churchill called "the worst journey in the world".

Russian Ambassador Alexander Vladimirovich held the moving ceremony at his official home in Kensington Palace Garden.

Before the medals were handed out, the ambassador asked the families and those veterans who still could to stand to hear the Russian and British national anthems. 

Mr Andrews continued: "We took all sorts of stuff on the boat. I think we must have transported tonnes of explosives. And it was a battle in itself to maintain the ammunition against the cold weather conditions."

The convoy was a constant target for German U-boats and cost more than 3,000 men their lives.

After enormous pressure from the public and several MPs, including Watford’s Richard Harrington, the Government awarded the Russian Convoy Star to the dwindling number of participating sailors who have survived to old age last year.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office then changed the rules stipulating that British veterans could not accept a foreign medal if the act happened more than five years ago - meaning Russia could honour Mr Andrews and other veterans with their own Russian Ushakov medal.

Mr Andrews said he was delighted his efforts in 1944 and 1945 have been recognised.