A RACE against time is under way to ensure an elderly Stone war veteran receives his Arctic medal before it is too late.
Kenneth Key, pictured, served in the Royal Navy from 1938 to 1947, spending most of the Second World War on board HMS Liverpool serving as an aircraft rigger.
He was involved in the Arctic Convoys during the war, facing freezing conditions and the constant threat of attack by enemy planes and ships to help transport vital supplies to Russia.
But the 92-year-old, who now lives at Hilcote Hall Care Home near Eccleshall, is in failing health and his friend Chris Archer has appealed to Stone MP Bill Cash and borough councillor Joyce Farnham to help in ensuring he receives the Arctic Medal.
He also shared priceless pictures depicting Mr Key’s experiences on the Arctic Convoy, including decks caked with ice and an explosion in the sea just metres from his ship caused by a depth charge an anti-submarine missile.
Mr Archer said: “As far as I know Ken never received any recog- nition for his wartime service. He is now a very poorly man but I and others would like to see him get that recognition at this late hour.”
Last month the Government announced that an Arctic medal would be issued to Arctic Convoy veterans more than 70 years after the first operations began and after several decades of campaigning for recognition.
Councillor Farnham said: “I am appealing to Bill to get onto the MoD to push this medal application forward.”
Mr Cash said yesterday that he was in the process of contact- ing the MoD and giving the application his full backing.
Thousands of sailors never returned from the perilous trips, described by wartime prime minister Winston Churchill as “the worst journey in the world”.
