A MAN who gave years of his life sailing perilous seas during the Second World War has been awarded a medal for his gallant efforts.

Ninety-one-year-old veteran Thomas Robinson has been awarded a military medal for his brave service in the Royal Navy.

Between 1942 and 1947, Mr Robinson was among the thousands of British men who braved the freezing waters of the Arctic Circle to transport much-needed supplies to Russia.

Mr Robinson, who was born on Walney but now lives in Main Road Swarthmoor, remembers his trips to the far North and said it was a hard life on board HMS Orwell.

He said: "I enjoyed the navy but it was rough on the convoys.

"I always liked seeing ships and I loved the travel and being able to see the world. I've been all over.

"We were based on Orkney and we would sail north and would get plenty of action near Norway.

"We got attacked by submarines and it was pretty bad. "We would have to sleep on the deck so we would be ready in case we were attacked, and of course you could feel all the weather."

Described by former prime minister Winston Churchill as "the worst journey in the world", the Royal Navy estimate that between 200 and 400 sailors survived the campaign.

Now these real war heroes are receiving long-awaited recognition in the form of the Ushakov medal awarded by the Russian Federation.

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Mr Robinson was absolutely delighted when he received a visit from the Russian Embassy who presented him with his medal.

He said: "They were a very nice couple. They presented the medal and described what it was.

"I knew about it and there was a meeting down in London but I didn't think I was going to get it but I did.

"It's an honour and a lovely medal."

Mr Robinson, who has clocked up a number of medals in his time, also received The Arctic Star medal for his efforts on the Convoys.

He said: "I'm quite proud. It was such a long time ago so you don't think all that much about it but it's nice to be recognised."