Arctic convoy veteran is still waiting for a medal
Seventy years on, wartime sailor remains empty-handed
ajsmith@thekmgroup.co.uk IT’S A GOOd job the patient exservicemen of the Arctic convoys are used to waiting.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister david Cameron announced amid great fanfare that the Government had finally decided to issue a medal for the veterans of the Second World War convoys to Russia – 70 years after the event.
It was recognised that the convoys required enormous bravery, battling not only the Germans but also with horrendous weather.
Johnnie Berrill, 89, was one such veteran.
He served on two convoys aboard HMS Intrepid; the first in November 1941 to Archangel, the second in January 1942 to Murmansk.
As soon as the medals were announced Mr Berrill’s younger brother-in-law, Peter dennis, helped him fill in the application form.
But three months later they are still waiting.
Mr dennis said: “I’ve rung several times to chase, but they say that although there are fewer than 200 of the veterans left alive, they have been inundated with 26,000 requests from veteran’s families and it’s taking a long time to process.
“Surely they have it all wrong. They should deal with the applications from the veterans them- selves before they process those of family members.
“Many don’t have long to live – they may never get to see their medal.”
Mr Berrill was already a sea cadet when the war broke out. When he reached his 17th birthday, he immediately volunteered. He said the weather had been the most frightening thing on the Arctic runs. He added: “It was so cold, you couldn’t touch a rail on deck with your bare hand – your skin would come way.”
The Intrepid survived the Arctic convoys unharmed, but Mr Berrill was still on board when she was sunk by dive bombers in the Mediterranean in 1943.
Mr Berrill is now waiting patiently in his Harrietsham nursing home for news of his medal. THEY say you should always write about what you know.
And that is exactly what new author Lisa Cutts, above, has done.
The daughter of a Metropolitan police officer, she obtained her first degree in law before joining the force in 1996. She later achieved a second degree in applied criminal investigation.
She lives in Kent with her husband, who is also a retired police officer, and balances working full-time for Kent Police with writing crime fiction.
Her debut novel Never Forget is a fast-paced and compelling tale which draws on the author’s knowledge of the workings of a major incident room.
The story won the 2012 Writer’s Retreat Competition and is now published by Myriad.
Mrs Cutts will launch the book, read extracts and sign copies at Pizza Express in Earl Street, Maidstone, on Tuesday, June 25, from 6.30pm.