A war veteran from Birkby has been honoured – after 70 years.

Arthur Firth, 93, who served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, has finally received recognition for his time spent on the Arctic Convoys.

Nearly 70 years after the war ended the Arctic Star arrived in the post.

And having waited so long for this medal, Arthur’s delight was very apparent.

He had joined the Royal Navy in August 1939 as an Able Seaman, joining HMS Defiance for his training in mine disposal and as a torpedo man.

He served on the destroyers, HMS Watchman and Meteor which protected the convoys on the Arctic run, returning to Defiance for further training.

In 1941 while serving on HMS Watchman in Scapa Flow, in rough seas he went out with a fellow sailor in a motorboat to release the anchor cable.

But having released the cable, they were thrown into the water. They managed to strap themselves to the buoy and were stranded there for 36 hours in appalling conditions before finally being rescued.

Arthur then became a Leading Torpedoman and spent nine months in the Faroe Islands, to the northwest of Scotland, rendering mines safe for the islanders. German mines were often washed up into the villages at high tide and the seamen risked their lives to disarm them.

He said later that the islanders were often so grateful, they would carried the seamen on their shoulders into the village and gave them whisky to drink.

And they always made sure that the sailors had their share of whale meat after a whale killing.

When asked about his time on the convoys where thousands braved sub-zero temperatures to safeguard the vital supplies to Russia, Arthur said: “At night all you could see were the flashing lights of the convoy.

“The conditions were dreadful and picking up survivors from the convoys was heartbreaking.”

In 1942 his ship, HMS Meteor, was attacked by a German submarine.

There was a fierce battle and in one explosion, Arthur was injured, suffering irreparable damage to his eardrums and resulting in profound hearing loss.

He was sent to South Africa in 1945 to aid his recovery and to help with the development of aerial torpedos in preparation for the attack on Japan.

He left the Navy in 1946 and worked for years as an electrical engineer.

He also has the Arctic Emblem and the Russian 40th anniversary medal.

He and his wife Lorna married in March 1943 and celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary this year.

Mr Firth spent many years working as an electrician.

His daughter, Mrs Melody Hirst, said: “At last my father has received his medal. He is delighted and our family are too. I think it is a great achievement.

“He is only about 5foot 2 inches tall and to think he survived such horrendous conditions and to be still here at 93 is so commendable. “Our generation should have such gratitude for those sailors.”

The Arctic Star is a campaign medal of the United Kingdom, awarded for service in World War II.

The medal is awarded for any length of service above the Arctic Circle by members of the British Armed Forces and the Merchant Navy.

The Arctic Star is a retrospective award, coming nearly 70 years after the end of World War II, being announced in late 2012.

The Arctic Star was formally approved by The Queen, and began production in early 2013.

The medal itself is a six-pointed star.