Navy war veteran awarded Russian bravery medal

 

A World War II veteran, who saw off Nazi attacks in sub-zero Arctic seas, has finally been honoured by Russia seven decades later.

Dr Peter Wells, from Henbury, attended a special ceremony at Manchester town hall to recognise his brave efforts during the Second World War.

There the 89-year-old collected the Ushakov Medal for service on World War II Arctic Convoys.

This complements his British military awards, which include the Arctic Star, awarded to Convoy veterans in 2013.

In 1943, just after his 18th birthday, Peter joined the Royal Navy as a volunteer.

He served as an ordinary seaman on an ‘S’ class destroyer, HMS Saladin, escorting convoys from the west coast of Scotland which were carrying supplies to the hard pressed Russian Forces.

Recalling his experiences Peter said: “The massive seas we encountered buckled the forward stanchion, which supported the upper deck, but fortunately, we were not stove in.

“On another occasion, I was nearly washed overboard, but managed to keep my rear in the air, and was just kept on board by the guardrail. Being washed overboard was quite a common occurrence whilst in convoy, and there was little or no hope of rescue. I was quite shaken by that experience but the only way to deal with it was to put it out of your mind. You would hear of men being washed over the sides quite regularly. It was frightening.”

Despite being descended from a line of Yorkshire whalers, Peter suffered badly with sea-sickness in the early days of his service. But somehow he got used to the treacherous conditions and rose up the ranks to gain a commission as mid-shipman in 1944.

Peter was demobbed in 1946 and returned home to train as a doctor.

For nearly a quarter of a century ran a psychiatric service for troubled young people in Macclesfield before he retired in 1993. He now spends his time writing and painting.

Russian Ambassador Alexander Yakovenko told war vets at the ceremony: “What you did 70 years ago, on what Winston Churchill rightly described as the worst journey in the world, was extraordinary.”

Source and full story: Macclesfield Express