For 70 years they waited for recognition of their sacrifice.
Thousands of miles away from their loved ones, the brave heroes gave everything to contribute to the Second World War effort.
But the wait for one survivor of the Arctic Convoys is now finally over.
Herbert Bentley, of Holton, near Wincanton, has received his newly-commissioned Arctic Star medal.
He was one of 66,000 Royal Navy and Merchant Navy seamen deployed on the convoys in 1943.
Dubbed the "worst journey in the world" by Winston Churchill, more than 3,000 British servicemen died in the freezing waters of the Arctic as they worked to keep supplies flowing through German blockades to the Soviet Union.
Mr Bentley, 87, received his medal this month – and will "treasure" the honour forever.
"He said: "I was very pleased to receive it. I've been waiting so many years since the war.
"A huge number of people who were on the convoys died waiting for recognition. The government didn't want to spend money on the medals.
"The convoys were not very pleasant. It was an old ship which didn't have many good facilities, but we survived.
"Most of the time we were on watch and we did a lot of patrolling and German U-boat hunting in the Arctic.
"I often think about my time on the ships. I was sometimes scared with enemy guns firing over the top of us. I look back very proudly and think we did a great job."
In 1943, Mr Bentley was working at a Lancashire cotton mill when he was called up. As he was in the Home Guard and could read Morse code, he was selected for the Navy and sent to signalling training in school, in Skegness, to become a telegraphist. He then moved up to Ayrshire, Scotland, before completing his training in Plymouth.
During the war, one of Mr Bentley's longest tours was a seven-week patrol. He also played a role in the liberation of the Channel Islands.
"I enjoyed my time in the Navy," Mr Bentley said.
"Some of the men started up an annual reunion in Portsmouth but eventually in 1990 there were not enough people left to warrant it.
"I do look at those I served alongside as heroes. We were just doing our job."
Mr Bentley married his sweetheart Joyce in 1947, before moving his family to live near Wincanton in 1960.
He later worked on a farm in Horsington and in the Wincanton Unigate factory.
