British WWII Vet Gives His Arctic Convoy Medal to Russia

MOSCOW, November 29 (RIA Novosti) – A British war veteran involved in shipping military supplies to the Soviet Union by sea during World War II on Friday presented his recently awarded medal for his role in the campaign to Russia.

James Pitts, 89, handed his Arctic Star to Moscow’s Museum of the Great Patriotic War, the museum said on its website.

Pitts was on two Arctic Convoys that shipped British and US supplies across the Norwegian Sea and the Arctic Ocean to the Soviets during World War II under the constant threat of attacks by Nazi Germany’s navy, the Kriegsmarine.

In 2012, the British government established a number of awards for World War II campaigns, including the Arctic Star for people who participated in campaigns above the Arctic Circle.

Many veterans have volunteered to hand over their Arctic Stars to Russia in a sign of recognition of the Soviet Union’s input in the war, the museum said.

The veterans drew lots to choose who would part with their medal, which was then taken to Russia by ship from London, retracing the Arctic Convoy’s route.

Pitts flew to Moscow with his fellow veterans for the handover ceremony and a tour of Moscow, the museum said.