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Post by Admin on Apr 30, 2014 17:03:05 GMT -5
WWII Arctic Convoys anniversary: Russian, British veterans to converge in London to mark WWII Arctic Convoys anniversary. Russian and British veterans of the Arctic Convoys of World War II will converge on HMS Belfast on May 9 to mark the 69th anniversary of the victory in World War II and commemorate their vital missions in 1941-45, said Yevgeny Kasevin, the founder and organizer of the London celebrations, Interfax reports. "In line with Presidential Decree No.131 of March 10 2014 the first of the 3,000 British veterans of the Arctic Convoys will be presented with Ushakov medals aboard the Belfast on May 9 in a ceremony being organized by the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Russian embassy in London," he said. voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_0...iversary-8117/ K. |
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Post by Admin on Apr 30, 2014 17:08:52 GMT -5
TWENTY USHAKOV MEDALS ARRIVE IN LONDON, AWAITING THEIR TWENTY HERO RECIPIENTS
Following the presidential decree, signed by the Russian President on 10 March 2014, listing nearly 3000 names of British veterans due to receive the Russian state award of the Ushakov medal, the first group of twenty British veterans of the Arctic Convoys will be receiving their medals on board HMS Belfast, on Friday 9 May 2014.
“Twenty Ushakov medals have been assigned to the veterans, having already arrived from Moscow and are being kept in the Russian Embassy awaiting the awards ceremony on board HMS Belfast” - said the organiser of Victory Day celebrations in London, Eugene Kasevin.
On Friday 9 May 2014, a commemorative ceremony will be held on board HMS Belfast to mark the 69th Anniversary of Victory in the Second World War and the Arctic Convoys (1941-1945).
During the ceremony, twenty British veterans will be awarded the Russian State Naval award for bravery - the Medal of Ushakov. They are: Alan Florence, Albert Foulser, Anthony Snelling, Arthur Hutton, Arthur Lauricks, Arthur Waddington, Austin Byrne, Charles Erswell, Cyril Banks, David Kennedy, Ernest Davies, Ernest Kennedy, Frank Bond, Fred Udell, Gordon Long, Harry Card, James Pitts, John Hurst, Leslie Perks, Stanley Ballard.
James Pitts, who proudly and solemnly presented his Arctic Star medal to the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Moscow in November last year, has been looking forward to the moment when he could “proudly fill the empty spot on his chest with the Ushakov Medal.”
The hero veterans of the Royal Navy and the Merchant Navy will reunite with their Russian Navy shipmates on board HMS Belfast to celebrate their joint Victory and to commemorate their absent friends. The ceremony will be attended by distinguished guests, including the former head of the British armed forces Lord David Richards and Minister of State for Justice and Civil Liberties Rt. Hon Simon Hughes MP.
The traditional Pusser’s Rum ‘Up Spirits!’ and Russian Standard Vodka ‘To Victory!’ toasts will follow the minute’s silence with cannon salutes in honour of the Arctic Convoy heroes.
A variety performance by British and Russian musicians commemorating the extraordinary contribution made by British and Russian sailors in the treacherous conditions of the Arctic Convoys 1941-1945 will be held on Friday 9 May 2013, at 18:30 in The Hay’s Galleria, London SE1 2HD.
Eugene Kasevin, founder of Victory Day London, said - “The Arctic Convoys added a glorious chapter to the history of the Second World War - an ordeal filled with selfless courage and, unfortunately, still wrapped in a veil of oblivion. We urge a remembrance of the important historical role of the Arctic Convoys, so that the present and future generations will know about the joint struggle of Soviet and British people against fascism. We must remember the courage and the heroism of our ancestors.”
Victory Day London event is held in partnership with VTB Capital, Petropavlovsk Plc and SCF Sovcomflot.
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Post by Admin on May 10, 2014 14:47:54 GMT -5
Russian, British Arctic Convoy veterans awarded medals on HMS Belfast:Veteran heroes of the Russian Navy, the UK Royal Navy and Merchant Navy have been awarded long-awaited medals for their service in the Arctic Convoys during World War II. The ceremony took place in London on the HMS Belfast on May 9. The veterans were presented the Russian Ushakov Medal - a state decoration of the Russian Federation that was retained from the awards system of the USSR post 1991. Russian admiral Fyodor Ushakov who never lost a battle is a patron saint of the Russian Navy. LINK
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Post by Admin on May 10, 2014 14:50:35 GMT -5
British Arctic Convoy veterans honoured on board HMS Belfast: Yesterday's ceremony saw some awarded the Ushakov Medal - a state decoration of the Russian Federation that was retained from the awards system of the USSR post 1991. Despite today's political tension, the Russian people will never forget the help they received. LINK |
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