IT is rumoured to have been one of the toughest places to serve during the Second World War.

Many perished on the Arctic Convoys as British ships battled icy waters and came under fire from German U-boats as they tried and help get supplies and arms to Russia.

Joseph Jeffries was one of the lucky ones that survived two trips from Liverpool and now his contribution has been recognised with an Ushakov medal which was presented to him by representatives from the Russian embassy last week.

Joe said: “I started in Atlantic convoys and I finished up in South East Asia command. I practically served in every theatre of the war that there was.

“The Arctic Convoys were only a little bit of it but even so it is nice for the Russians to acknowledge it.”

The 94-year-old joined the Royal Navy aged just 17 in 1939 and served in Burma, India and on Atlantic convoys during the six years.

He survived his boat being hit by a tornado in 1941 while sailing from Gibraltar to Liverpool.

“After the convoys I was on a prison ship bringing German prisoners from Northern Africa to Liverpool and then I was out East in Burma and I was out there until they dropped the atomic bomb and the war finished,” Joe, of Secker Avenue, Latchford, said.

“The war had a lot of different faces to me.”

“With the Arctic, I went on the Russian convoy and we went to take Spitfires which they were being given and general cargo, tanks and ammunition.

“On that convoy there were quite a few ships hit by torpedoes and I was lucky to get away with it at the time. You only had to go over the side once up there and that was your lot.”

Each convoy could took around six weeks to reach Russia depending on the conditions and before returning to Liverpool.

He said: “When we got there you were being continually bombed and so very often it took awhile for us to get alongside and there would be sunken ships in the way.

“Apart from being bombed and torpedoed at sea you got it again when you get there. And then you had to face it all again on the way back.

“It was a nasty theatre of war put it that way.”