Prior Group - Russia - New Zealand - Новая Зеландия - Россия

By JOHN LEWIS, 12 June 2010, Otago Daily Times - Tribute to heroism . . . Proudly displaying Russian Federation medals commemorating the 65th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War (1941-45) are (from left) James Clegg (86), Joe O'Brien (87), Stan Kirkpatrick (84), Ken Meredith (83) and Don Lawson (82).
"EVERY day, a ship would go down in flames. You never knew if you were going to live the next day."
It was an average day in the life of former Merchant Navy sailor Stan Kirkpatrick, who spent his youth in convoys shipping weapons across the North Sea from Britain to northern Russia, in a bid to help the Russians keep the German invasion at bay during World War 2.

He and former Merchant Navy sailors Don Lawson, Ken Meredith, Joe O'Brien and former Royal Navy sailor James Clegg, all of Dunedin, survived prolonged attacks by German U-boats, aircraft and surface warships.
"The cost was frightful," Mr Kirkpatrick said.
"In the four years from 1941-45, 811 merchant ships in 40 convoys took part, and of these, 88 ships were sunk with heavy loss of life.
"But being teenagers, we felt bullet-proof and we took it in our stride."
They were memories which had never left him and his comrades.
Sixty-five years later, the men's contribution has been acknowledged by the Russian Federation.
A medal commemorating the 65th anniversary of victory in what the Russians call the Great Patriotic War (1941-45) was presented to each man at a function in Dunedin yesterday.
In forwarding the medals, Russian Federation ambassador Andrey Tatarinov, of Wellington, sent a message paying tribute to the heroism and selflessness of the New Zealand sailors who took part in the Arctic convoys.
"The Allied supplies were important and we value your personal input into the great victory."
The men were delighted to be recognised for their service.