Congratulations to Frank Holmes who has been presented with the Ushakov medal by the Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire, Mr William Tucker, in recognition of his participation in the arctic convoys during World War Two . The medal was presented to Frank on February 7th, his 91st birthday.

The Medal of Ushakov was created by the USSR as a military award on March 3rd 1944. It was named in honour of Russian admiral Fyodor Ushakov who never lost a battle and was proclaimed patron saint of the Russian Navy.The Medal of Ushakov was retained by the Russian Federation after the dissolution of the USSR. It is awarded to soldiers and sailors of the Navy and of the Border Guard Service of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation for bravery and courage displayed while defending the Motherland and the public interests of the Russian Federation in naval theatres of military operations.

In 2013 the awarding of the Ushakov medal was made an exception to the rules of the British government governing medals given by other countries.

Frank’s wife, Eileen, played her part too during the War, working with the Lancaster Bombers. The Lord Lieutenant presented her with a replica of the Lancaster as a sign of appreciation.

Congratulations to both Frank and Eileen.