ARCTIC convoy veteran Ken Burkinshaw has been awarded a medal from the Russians - the eighth military honour he has received.
Ken, 91, was presented with the Ushakov medal for his service more than 70 years ago as chief petty officer. He served in the Arctic seas during one of the greatest feats of World War Two.
He was just 16 when he served on board HMS Sheffield delivering much needed resources to the Russians. Two dignitaries came from the Russian embassy in London to give the medal to Ken at the Holiday Inn, Barnsley.
The presentation thanked him for his 'supreme expression of bravery' and the contribution he and his comrades made to defeating Nazi Germany.
Ken, of Cherry Tree Street, Hoyland, remembered that thousands of Allied seamen lost their lives in the Barents Sea in the Arctic and were under constant attack by German U-boats and aircraft. He said: "It was minus 40 degrees. You daren't wipe your nose or it would break off. We had to chip ice off the guns before they could fire."
