A WAR hero who died 30 years ago has been awarded the Arctic Star.

William Lawton spent 18 months braving freezing conditions to protect the Russian Convoys during the Second World War in the Royal Marines.

His wife, Pearl, applied for the medal earlier this year and it arrived in the post on Monday morning.

“I am very proud of my husband and to finally have the recognition he deserves,” said the 93-year-old great-grandmother, who lives at Rodbourne Road, Swindon.

“I’m only sad that he is not around to be able to go and collect it himself.

“It will go on the wall along with his other medals and those of his father, who also served in the Royal Marines.”

William was already in military training when the war broke out in 1939. He had always wanted to follow in his father’s footseps and become a Royal Marine. However, initially he was unable to and so joined the army.

It was only after a senior officer took him under his wing that William got the move he had dreamed of. The lieutenant colonel had contacts within the Navy and put in a word for William.

He was assigned to HMS Indefatigable, an aircraft carrier, as a gunner, and worked in the bitter conditions of the Arctic helping to protect Russian merchant vessels from attack by German U-boats.

In December last year it was announced the government was issuing the Arctic Star for those who fought in this campaign.

Pearl said: “He got the call up on the same day I gave birth to our second child. “He was allowed an extra week but then I didn’t see him for several years, but that was the way it was in those days.

“William only very occasionally spoke about his experience but I know they were terrible conditions.

“The crew had to go out in freezing conditions to help clear the ice from the deck, which would build up because it was so cold. It had to be done or the ship would become top heavy.

“They would only be able to go out in short bursts and they would normally spend more time getting dressed into all the protective clothes.”

Following on from operations in the Arctic the ship was sent to the Pacific Ocean, overseeing the surrender of Japan. William had a lucky escape when on April 1 1945 a Kamikaze pilot flew into one of the gun positions.

“I had no idea he had been sent there,” said Pearl. “We would write to each other every day but he could not say where he was. The first time I knew was when he sent some toys over which he had bought in Australia.

“Once the war finished, he had to wait almost four months before he was able to come home. There were so many prisoners of war there was just not the space.

“When he arrived home I told our son, who had not seen him, that his father would be in a uniform. Unfortunately that meant he ran to the postman, which was a bit embarrassing.”

William was de-mobbed several months later and got a job almost immediately working on the railway lines before he died in 1983, aged 64.

His ashes were committed to the sea close to Portsmouth, on the same site the Mary Rose was found a few months after his death.