A VETERAN who kept Allied ships supplied during the Second World War has been honoured with a Russian medal.

Richard Gillett, then a lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, was based in the Soviet Union throughout 1944 with the task of ensuring Allied ships were properly supplied with shells and depth charges for the dangerous Arctic convoys.

Indeed, his own ship was torpedoed on the crossing to Murmansk, but fortunately remained afloat to complete the journey.

Last month, the 95-year-old received a medal commemorating the 70th anniversary of the ending of the 'Great Patriotic War', together with a letter from President Vladimir Putin.

"The journey was very perilous, the ships had to run a gauntlet of German surface vessels, U-boats and aircraft, and we had to keep them replenished at the other end," said Mr Gillett, who lives in Westbourne.

"Our stores were always covered with snow so we had to dig them out before distributing them. I had a party of British sailors and a party of Russian sailors, and they got on very well.

"From time to time I went to Archangel, which was a couple of days by sea or four days by rail.

"The Russian 'Intourist' department put on all sorts of concerts and dances to keep us entertained. And as an officer I had a room in the one hotel in Murmansk which escaped the bombing."

Born on Spice Island in Old Portsmouth, Mr Gillett grew up in sight of the fleet's largest battleships. After passing the civil service exam he got a job in nearby Gosport organising the naval armaments depot.

During the early years of the war he was posted in Londonderry, keeping convoys supplied for the Atlantic crossing.

After the war he took jobs with the Treasury and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which took him all around the world - in particular Kenya, India, the Caribbean and Turkey.

He was appointed an OBE in 1973, and received the Arctic Star medal in recognition of his Russian service in 2013.

"My work brought me into contact with Russia during the Cold War, and that did bring back some memories," he said.

"This medal arrived out of the blue. Our relations with Russia may not be at their best at the moment, but I am pleased they are still sending them."