"I WISH he had lived to hear the news."
Second World War veterans who served on the treacherous Arctic convoys will finally be recognised with a new medal.
Yesterday's announcement from the Government came ten days too late for 86-year-old Neville Boden, who was laid to rest in Immingham yesterday.
But his widow Frances and close friend Alf Duncan, a fellow veteran, said he would be "absolutely delighted" that his surviving comrades are at last being rewarded with the Arctic Star medal.
As reported in the Grimsby Telegraph in December, Neville had been offered the Ushakov medal for bravery for his part in the conflict by the Russian Government.
But like his fellow veterans, he was prevented from receiving it by the British Government due to regulations which stated that too much time had elapsed.
Frances, 80, expressed sadness that the gesture had come too late for her husband, but was happy for survivors.
She said: "The Russians had written to them saying they were awarding them this medal, but the British Government said no.
"Neville would be absolutely delighted at this news and he would think that it was only right that they should be recognised. It is just a shame it didn't come sooner. A week or so earlier and he would have found out."
Neville served on the tanker MV Marathon which carried aircraft fuel to Russia as part of the Arctic convoys.
More than 3,000 men died in the freezing waters of the Arctic as they worked to keep supplies flowing through German blockades, on what Winston Churchill described as the "worst journey in the world".
Until now, no medal has been awarded specifically for this conflict.
Instead veterans who served on the Arctic convoys were eligible for the Atlantic Star, a medal extended from another conflict.
Neville's friend Alf Duncan, 86, of Humberston, also served on the Arctic convoys, aboard the destroyer HMS Scourge.
He said he was pleased at the announcement, but said it had come too late for the thousands of servicemen who had died in the intervening period.
"It is right that it should be acknowledged. I don't know why the Government didn't award us a medal in the first place. I think Churchill would have been turning in his grave.
"We got a medal for serving in Normandy and we were only there for a month, yet we were in the Arctic for two years."
Describing conditions on the convoys, he said: "It's hard to explain. I was only 16. We used to sail close to the ice and you always had to be alert. I saw one or two ships sinks. You used to feel safer when the fog was down because aeroplanes couldn't see us.
"It's quite fitting, in a way, that it has come on the day of Neville's funeral, but I wish he had lived to hear the news."
The Government also announced that a Bomber Command clasp would be presented to those who flew at least one operational mission over Germany and France during the Second World War.
The medals will be sent out to veterans and their families as soon as next month, with surviving veterans and widows being the first to receive the award.
Editor's Comment THERE will be many people reading today's page one who will fail to understand why our war veterans are not automatically awarded with the medals they so clearly deserve! In today's Britain we see the likes of David Beckham and Gary Barlow getting gongs from the Queen. Such famous figures have done a lot over the years to promote the country and they are role models for our young people – there will be many parents out there hoping that their children will grow to replicate the likes of Beckham and Barlow. But have these famous sons, or daughters, ever put their lives on the line for their country? No, and actually they have made millions and millions on the back of their obvious talents. Meanwhile we get these old war veterans who have been out there, fighting for our freedom for no financial gain – their desire was and is to receive formal recognition for what they have done. For many, this recognition has sadly come too late! *What do you think, comment on this story below. Follow the editor on Twitter @michellelalor