HE survived the ‘hell of all hells’ but didn’t live to see the day he was honoured for his heroic service.

Bernard Stalker, from Alloa, was just a teenager when he served with the Royal Navy on vessels that formed the Arctic convoys of the Second World War.

Crews battled the elements – temperatures plunging to a deadly -50C – as well as enemy U-boats and bombers to keep supply routes open to the Soviet Union.

Conditions were so extreme that Winston Churchill described it as the “worst journey in the world”.

Despite tireless campaigning from veterans, it wasn’t until 2012 that their heroics on the convoys were finally recognised with the creation of the Arctic Star. By then it was sadly too late for Bernard, who had passed away in 1990 at the age of 64, several years after suffering a massive stroke.

His wife, Joyce, a past president of the Alloa Musical Players, collected his medal which was posthumously awarded to him this month, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of his call up.

She said, “My husband was only 18 when he served on HMS Berwick and I know that his experiences stayed with him his entire life. It was quite horrendous and he always said he was lucky to have survived.

“He was never one to talk much about it. The only thing he’d say was that when they were in the convoy and the ship in front was blown up by the German U-boats you thought ‘I’m all right, I’ll get through’. That’s how they had to think. I believe Winston Churchill made comment that it was the hell of all hells.” Between 1941 and 1945 naval convoys delivered vital military supplies to the Soviet Union in the Arctic Circle.

Thousands of men perished as ships were attacked by German U-boats and bombers.

For years Joyce had tirelessly campaigned for the recognition her husband deserved.

Her voice was one of many – veterans, their families and the Scottish Government – who pressed for an award.

Then, in December 2012, Prime Minister David Cameron announced the creation of the Arctic Star which was formally approved by The Queen.

The first medals were awarded to 40 veterans at a ceremony last March and over the past 12 months dozens more have been sent out to those heroes, and their families, who kept the Soviets in the war. Joyce received Bernard’s medal through help from local MSP and Veterans Minister, Keith Brown.

Remembering her husband, Joyce said, “He was a very fair man; a beautifully natured man. This medal is something he deserved, something the family deserved to have.” She added, “I am absolutely delighted that the service of my husband and everyone else who served on the Arctic Convoys has finally been recognised and I can’t thank Keith enough.” Keith said, “It took 67 years after the end of the convoys, and years of campaigning from people like Mrs Stalker, before the UK Government decided to recognise the unstinting dedication and service that the Arctic veterans provided for their country.

“Each year there are fewer and fewer of these remarkable veterans – with survivors now in their 80s and 90s – to whom we owe such a great deal which is why it was important that the medal be awarded posthumously and I would encourage families of Arctic Convoy veterans who are no longer with us to apply for the Arctic Star medal.”