A 90-year-old veteran who survived the perilous Arctic Convoys of World War II has been awarded the Arctic Star medal at a ceremony in the Isle of Man. Gordon Cowley, from Port Erin, was recognised for his role in transporting vital supplies and munitions to Russia between 1941 and 1945.
Mr Cowley, a former postal worker, said he was one of three Manx people involved in the notoriously dangerous voyages, adding: "Sadly the others have all passed on, I'll be the only one there." The convoys, described by Winston Churchill as "the worst journey in the world," claimed the lives of more than 3,000 Royal Navy and merchant seamen. By May 1945, the Arctic route had seen 104 merchant ships and 16 military vessels lost.
Mr Cowley joined HMS Edinburgh in 1942 as a member of the ship's Royal Marine band. He recalled the constant threat from enemy battleships, U-boats and planes: "For much of the time we were surrounded... they came at us from all directions." Despite being heavily armoured and fast, HMS Edinburgh had to reduce speed to escort slow supply boats, making them easy targets.
On 28 April 1942, after an uneventful journey to Murmansk, the crew loaded crates of Russian gold worth millions of pounds as payment for American arms. On the return voyage, a German U-boat struck HMS Edinburgh with two torpedoes. Two days later, further attacks caused the ship to sink. Mr Cowley was rescued by minesweepers, but 58 crew members perished. "I was one of the lucky ones I suppose," he said.
The Arctic Star, Mr Cowley's sixth medal, was presented by the island's Lieutenant Governor at Government House in Douglas on Monday.
