From Russia with love – Moscow Embassy’s greetings to 101-year-old WW2 veteran Ernie Davis

Staff of the Defence Section in Moscow, joined  Ernie and Royal British Legion veterans in Romford for his 100th birthday celebrations, including handing over a bottle of Pusser’s Rum.

This year, Ernie had a smaller low key event on his big day – but the Embassy wanted the veteran to know he was very much in their thoughts.

Although relations between the two countries are strained at present, Embassy staff continue to champion the efforts of the men who endured what Churchill called “the worst journey in the world”, delivering vital aid to ports such as Murmansk and Arkhangelsk to sustain the Soviet war effort and ultimately defeat the Nazis.

Enduring temperatures of -40, with sea spray turning to ice - which then had to be constantly removed to avoid the risk of ships capsizing – to say nothing of the threat from the Luftwaffe, U-boats and surface ships (such as the Tirpitz and Scharnhorst).

Embassy staff uphold the memory of the convoy men – more than 100 vessels were lost, 16 of them warships between 1941 and 1945 – through wreathlaying events at memorials in the Russian Federation, or by helping the dwindling number of veterans (distinguishable thanks to their distinctive white berets) mark milestones, like Ernie’s, highlighting the shared military history between the UK and Russia.

Ernie served as a gunner in Captain Class frigate HMS Cottonwhich escorted merchantmen first on the UK-Gibraltar run, then to northern Russia in the last Arctic Convoys of World War 2.