One of the last survivors of the brutal Arctic missions, which helped turn the tide of war into an Allied victory spoke emotionally at the weekend of his huge respect for the thousands of colleagues who perished.
Inverness-born naval seaman Bill Shand, now 92 and living in Nairn, shares a common bond with a dwindling band of modest heroes.
Having survived a regular Nazi bombardment inflicted on the crews of the Arctic Convoys he, in common with many fellow sailors, was subsequently recruited for the highly secretive D-Day invasion, only to witness the horrors of even greater numbers making the ultimate sacrifice on the Normandy beaches.
Speaking at the weekend, Mr Shand said: “I’m thinking of the friends I lost. It’s also likely to be the last time I’ll be dressed up with all my medals.”
Mr Shand has been honoured several times by a grateful Russian nation and has always been overwhelmed by the gratitude shown.
He added: “It was vital to the Russians that these convoys got through. But, by golly, they haven’t forgotten the British sailors that helped them. They have been unbelievably kind.
“On one occasion, at a ceremony in Glasgow, wee girls gave us each a Christmas card which said ‘Hello Mr Hero, we would like you to accept this card from we Russian children.’
“Wasn’t that wonderful? You can imagine the lump in my throat when I received that.”
