A WEST Devon man who served on the Arctic Convoys at the tender age of 16 has been awarded the World War Two Arctic Star medal, 14 years after his death.

The posthumous medal to Royal Marine Norman John Howell Bennallack from Tavistock was awarded for service on HMS Norfolk on the Arctic Convoys from September 1943 to February 1944.

For John's Bennallack's 82-year-old wife Edna and his three daughters Lorraine, Karen and Sonya, it was a very proud moment.

The men who served on the Arctic Convoys, delivering tons of vital cargo and munitions to the Soviet Union, and allowing the Red Army to repel the Nazi invasion, were known as 'the forgotten heroes'.

More than 3,000 seamen were killed in the treacherous waters of the Arctic Ocean, as they undertook terrifying trips to keep Russia supplied and fighting on the Eastern Front.

It was a mission Winston Churchill acknowledged as 'the worst journey in the world', but the contribution these men made to the course of war — it is believed that Nazi Germany would probably have won the Second World War had the Arctic Convoys failed — was not recognised with a special medal until last year.

John Bennallack's daughter Karen Frontera said: 'Dad spoke very little, if at all, about his wartime experiences.

'Like so many in World War Two, he saw so many horrific things, but with three daughters he didn't talk about them.

'It is wonderful the men who served their country on these convoys are now recognised and as a family we are immensely proud to accept this medal on his behalf.'

During one deployment by HMS Norfolk with the Home Fleet in December 1943, which was providing cover for the passage of a Russian convoy, the ship was hit twice by enemy fire, killing seven of the ship's company and wounding five.

Beyond the threat of the enemy's battleships and attack overhead, the men endured terrible weather conditions, the darkness of the polar winter and 24-hour daylight at the height of the summer.

If ships were sunk, sailors perished in minutes in waters barely above freezing.

Mr Bennallack enlisted at the age of 14 years, 11 months and 12 days.

He served in the Royal Marines until July 1957 and was decorated with the 1939/45 Star, Italy Star, France and Germany Star and War Medal.

He later was a prison warder at HMP Dartmoor at Princetown and a caretaker at Tavistock Primary School.

It is thought that between 200 and 400 sailors, all now in their mid to late 80s at their youngest, survive from the four-year long campaign.

The families of those no longer alive have been able to apply for the Arctic Star in recognition of their loved ones' bravery.

While the aim is to recognise those who served on the Arctic Convoys, all those who served north of the Arctic Circle during the Second World War are eligible, including members of all three services as well as the Merchant Navy who crewed the ships taking the vital supplies to Russia.