A DORSET man has been commended by the Russian Federation for his service during the Second World War.

Ivor Faulconer, 99, has been awarded a medal to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the victory in The Great Patriotic War, the term used by the Soviet Union to describe the conflicts fought on the Eastern Front during the Second World War.

Mr Faulconer is one of the last survivors of the Arctic Convoys, in which members of the Royal Navy sailed to Russia and other northern ports of the Soviet Union, acting as an escort for merchant ships carrying food, clothing and military equipment, to aid the Soviets who were facing the might of the German Army.

The award was signed by the Ambassador of the Russian Federation on behalf of the President, Vladimir Putin, and was received on May 8.

Mr Faulconer served as a Lieutenant in the Fleet Air Arm, the aerial arm of the Royal Navy, at the age of 19.

Throughout the convoys he would fly Walrus and Fulmer aircraft from carriers to protect the convoys, along with hunting enemy submarines in the north Atlantic.

Mr Falcouner, who lives in Fifehead Neville, near Sturminster Newton, said: “Whilst in the air I would look down on convoys of merchant ships stretching from horizon to horizon, protected by warships from the Allied Navies.

“When on board I was often detailed to break the ice off the rigging to prevent the ship from being weighed down into the sea.

“It was a terrifying experience and for four years that was my job.”

Mr Faulcouner was also keen to commend Captain Tom Moore on the work he has done raising money for the NHS during the coronavirus crisis.

He added: “What a remarkable man Captain, now Colonel, Tom Moore is, I would love to meet him. What a conversation we two centenarians could have.”