A veteran of ‘the worst journey in the world’ has finally been honoured 70 years later.
Lewis Allen, 90, spent four years braving -50 degrees C temperatures in the Arctic Convoy, one of the war’s most dangerous missions, which ferried vital supplies to Russia.
He has finally received his Arctic Star medal in the mail – at the second attempt. The first one got lost in the post.
Great-grandfather Lewis, of Kaye Lane, Almondbury, had originally been turned down for the Navy at age 17 for “not having 22 sound teeth” in his head. However, conscription was introduced and two years later the Navy snapped him up.
He then spent almost all of the next four years in the Arctic Circle as Leading Torpedo Operator responsible for depth charges on HMS Kent and Dido. These were escort ships for the Navy’s merchant fleet which ran the gauntlet of German U-boats in their efforts to supply the Russian war effort.
Winston Churchill said the Arctic Convoys were on “the worst journey in the world”.
The voyages began in 1941 and by May 1945, had claimed 3,000 lives, 104 merchant ships and 16 military vessels.
Lewis remembers continuously sailing backwards and forwards to Reykjavik, Iceland and Kola, Russia, in freezing temperatures and pitch black conditions.
He said: “We were on board for three or four weeks at a time. We had kapok (a type of cotton) suits, but it was bitterly cold.
“We were given hammers and told to climb up and chip ice off the upper rigging, it used to get too heavy and there was a danger of the ship toppling over.
“I remember it being pitch black, but when you were on Watch, you could see the aurora borealis, it was startling. We had no idea what it was back then, but it lit up the ship at night. It was lovely to see and very, very vivid.”
The Arctic Star was created this year after a long campaign by convoy veterans, who lobbied the government for recognition for their mission.
In 1943 Lewis had a short break from the Arctic convoys when his ship was part of a convoy escorting Winston Churchill to a conference with Franklin Roosevelt in the United States.
He didn’t see the British Prime Minister, but does remember celebrating his 21st birthday in Nova Scotia.
Lewis, who has four children, six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, left the Navy at the end of the war and went on to work as an engineer and to run his own heating business.
He and his wife Rosie are still both very active and attend afternoon dances every week at Moldgreen and Shelley.
