THREE veterans of the Second World War have returned to the Highlands to pay tribute to their old comrades who sailed on the Arctic convoys to Russia.
Bernard Roberts, 91, from Cardonald, James Docherty, 92, from Dalmarnock and Edwin Leadbetter, 92, from Newton Mearns will take part in a ceremony in Wester Ross on Sunday to commemorate the wartime mercy missions, which claimed 3,000 lives.
Between August 1941 and 1945, a total of 78 convoys travelled between Scotland and northern Russia, taking four million tonnes of supplies to the Soviet forces, including 7,000 planes and 5,000 tanks.
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Chosen for its remote and isolated location, Loch Ewe, in the northwest Highlands, was the gathering point for many of the Arctic Convoys before they embarked on their perilous journey.
Mr Leadbetter served on HMS Fencer, an escort aircraft carrier during the Second World War, and was onboard when it joined an attack on the German battleship Tirpitz.
The sailor spent more than a decade in the Royal Navy and is a recipient of both the Arctic Star and the Burma Star medals. Today, he suffers from Alzheimer’s and lives with his daughter and carer, Liz McKenna.
Mr Docherty will be making his first journey back to Loch Ewe since the Second World War, and is a recipient of the Arctic Star and the Ushakov Medal.
He was referred to he charity Fares4Free by the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Edinburgh for assistance with essential travel.
Mr Roberts served in the Royal Navy from 1942 and finished his service in 1947 on HMS Forth, in Rothesay, where he met his wife.
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It recently came to light that his time on mine-laying ships made him eligible for an Arctic Star. He has also received the Africa Star for his contributions in northern Africa.
Several wartime buildings, gun emplacements and anti-aircraft batteries still stand around the local landscape where the veterans are visiting. For that reason, Loch Ewe is the base for many commemorative activities, and The Russian Arctic Convoy Museum project set up a dedicated Exhibition Centre in the village of Aultbea last year.
The veterans’ trip, which includes a three-night stay at Gairloch, has been organised by Unforgotten Forces, a collaboration of 15 organisations led by Poppyscotland.
Defence Medical Welfare Service (DMWS) Welfare Officer Andy Riach, who is also going on the trip, said: “I am extremely proud to accompany a small group of Royal Navy veterans from the Russian Arctic Convoy missions to the 2018 commemoration.
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“In my role as a Welfare Officer at DMWS, I have supported two veterans who have served on the convoys. I have seen first-hand what it means to them to remember the hardships and the lives lost at the time, and in the years since.
“When you consider the tiny number of remaining veterans from this group, their age and what they had to endure during these arduous sailings, this is a really worthwhile project indeed.”
Sharon Higgins, Deputy Head of Welfare Services at Poppyscotland, said: “The route taken by the convoys was exceptionally dangerous, especially in winter, and conditions were among the worst faced by any Allied sailors during World War Two. In addition to battling the elements, many of the convoys were attacked by German submarines, aircraft and warships.
“No-one can underestimate the role played by the thousands of brave sailors who embarked on these perilous but pivotal missions. We owe so much to veterans such as these and it is a privilege to be able to provide them with the opportunity to return to what will be for them such a poignant location.”
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