A WARTIME merchant navy hero from Greenock has passed away peacefully at the age of 90.

George Gray of Fancy Farm was the proud holder of medals from the British, Russian and Dutch governments for his brave role in the World War Two Arctic Convoys, which were described by Prime Minister Winston Churchill as ‘the worst journey in the world’.

George also received a limited edition watch produced in Moscow for convoy veterans.

The convoys sailed from Scotland with vital supplies for Russia, but faced a gauntlet of relentless submarine, air and battleship attacks in sub-zero conditions. 

George sailed on convoy tanker San Venancio from Greenock to Murmansk in 1945.

As a member of the Russian Arctic Convoy Club Scotland, he was a leading light in the successful campaign to persuade the UK Government to recognise their sacrifices with a campaign Arctic Star medal.

The convoys carried four million tonnes of cargo including tanks, fuel and food. There were 78 between August 1941 and May 1945.

A total of 104 merchant vessels, 20 Royal Navy ships, a submarine and two armed whalers were sunk with the loss of 2,800 men.

Their story was immortalised in Scottish author Alistair MacLean’s novel ‘HMS Ulysses’.

George’s other honours included a Commemoration Medal for his Second World War services in the Dutch Merchant Navy, joining at the age of 15 and sailing for two years on convoys to and from the United States, Canada and the West Indies.

He was invited to the Dutch Consulate in Edinburgh to receive their medal from Michael Hughes, the Dutch Consul, in 2005, and was also presented with a certificate expressing ‘gratitude for contributing to the liberation of the Netherlands during the Second World War’.

Recalling his Arctic Convoy experience, George said: “It was grim — very cold with lots of snow and the constant threat of attack.”

On the way into Murmansk, George saw a warship built at Scotts of Greenock being torpedoed.

HMS Lapwing was a 1,250-ton sloop built in 1943. She was torpedoed and sunk on March 20, 1945. 

There were 61 survivors, but 158 men died.

George said: “I was a seaman on deck when I saw the Lapwing’s bow go up in the air and the ship quickly went under. There was so much shooting going on that you didn’t have time to think about it.

“I had earlier seen a German submarine’s periscope in the water, and it was later sunk by a corvette.

“There were 14 German subs waiting for us, and there was a lot of shooting when they got among the convoy ships.”

After the war, George married his wife, Mary, and they are survived by their four children and two grandchildren.

He joined the Cameron Highlanders and saw service in Palestine and Egypt, winning yet more medals, before going back to sea and then working in Canada and coming home to jobs in Scotts, Kincaid’s and the Hillington car factory.

A Past Master of Lodge Crawfordsburn 1121, George was a keen photographer and one of the driving forces behind Inverclyde Camera Club.

He had been in hospital recently, and celebrated his 90th birthday on Saturday with a family party in the Larkfield unit.

His eldest son, also named George, said: “We were all glad that we were able to get together for the happy family occasion.”