TWO West Somerset men in their 90s who served in the Arctic Convoys in World War Two, were recently awarded prestigious Ushakov medals by the Russian embassy for “personal courage and valour shown”.

The medals are usually awarded to soldiers and sailors of the Russian navy and border guard service.

Alan Hirst, 93, of Chipstable (above), and David Rees, 91, of nearby Waterrow (below), were two of over 3,000 British men to receive the awards.

The medals, named after 18th century naval commander Fyodor Ushakov, patron saint of the Russian navy, were delivered by the embassy itself.

David has lived in Waterrow for 20 years and Alan has lived in nearby Chipstable for the past 32 years, although the men never knew each other.

Both men were on the Arctic convoys protecting merchant ships bringing war and food supplies to Russia - and for Alan the award came at the same time as he received a French Legion d’Honneur.