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WWII veteran receives Russian medal for services to Soviet convoys

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An Aberdeen World War II veteran is to receive a medal of valour from the Russian government in recognition of his services protecting the vital Arctic Convoys during the conflict.

Leonard Grant, 88, will attend a ceremony at Aberdeen’s Town House on Saturday to receive the Ushakov Medal from members of the Consulate General of Russia.

The former navy gunner had joined the service when he was just 18, and served as a gunner aboard HMS Zest, a class Z destroyer ship that protected Russian ships as they travelled through the Arctic to deliver vital supplies.

The convoys, which took the young Mr Grant around the north pole in what Winston Churchill described as “the worst journey in the world”, were escorted through the dangerous waters by the Russian and Royal warships, as well as vessels from other allied countries.

The medal that Mr Grant will be awarded is named after Russia’s acclaimed navy commander Fyodor Ushakov, and honours those that protected the 78 convoys that travelled between 1941 and 1945.

Mr Grant, who now lives in Bucksburn, said: “We feel like we have an axe to grind with the Russians for a lot of things, but if it wasn’t for their involvement the war might have continued for much longer.

“The amount of equipment, trucks, planes and other munitions being transported to and from Russia must have been in the hundreds of thousands.

“It was a pretty full time business, we covered them with cruisers and battleships to prevent attacks from the German U-boats, cruisers and so forth, and we had a lot of close calls.

“I’m glad that I and the other veterans in Aberdeen are finally being recognised.”

Timofey Kunitskiy, the vice-consul of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Edinburgh, said: “The veterans will get the recognition they deserve and have waited a long time for.

“We’re going up to Aberdeen on Saturday with 15 medals to give out to the surviving veterans and posthumous awards for the families of veterans who have died.

“It’s very important of course, as the missions were vital. Because of the support of the allied countries, the soviets knew they weren’t fighting alone, and more importantly our enemies also knew.”