TRIBUTES have been paid to a hero of the treacherous World War II Arctic Convoy who has died aged 98.
Former Signalman Bernard Gough took part in what wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill described as one of the most dangerous missions ever undertaken by the Royal Navy.
Several years ago Bernard was presented by the Russian Embassy with The Medal of Ushakov, a special honour given by Russia, to veterans of the Arctic Convoy in addition to his Arctic Star Medal.
He passed away at Wrexham Maelor Hospital just weeks after he and his wife, Gwynydd 95, celebrated their 70th anniversary at Pendine Park’s Cae Bryn care home in Wrexham where she now lives.
The funeral service and cremation will be held on Monday, December 2, at 2pm at Flintshire Memorial Park.
There will be family flowers only but donations may be given in Bernard’s memory to North West Cancer Research, Mold Branch, and Dementia UK.
Pendine Park proprietor Mario Kreft MBE said: “Everyone here at Pendine who encountered him was honoured to meet Bernard.
“He was a real hero, through his war record, his work ethic and his devotion to his family who we know will miss him greatly. We offer our heartfelt condolences to them.”
It was a sentiment echoed by Cae Bryn Unit manager Emma George who added: “We were all very sad to hear of Bernard’s passing.
“He was a devoted husband and we all enjoyed his visits here to see Gwynydd. We fondly remember the 70th anniversary celebrations as being a jubilant day for the family. We were thrilled to be a part of it.”
After joining up as a boy sailor, aged 16, Bernard went on to serve in the perilous assignment in which relays of merchant ships and navy vessels faced freezing storms and icy seas as they battled to deliver more than four million tons of supplies to Russia.
Decades later in 2022 Bernard was proud to be invited, as a VIP to the opening of a permanent Arctic Convoy exhibition at the Western Approaches Museum in Liverpool.
A number of the supply convoys had sailed from Liverpool and the museum premises once housed an underground bunker which played a pivotal role in protecting Britain’s sea supply routes.
The exhibition was created to honour and pay tribute to the heroism and sacrifice of all who took part in the Convoy.
After Hitler invaded Russia in 1941, the Soviet Union’s leader, Josef Stalin, asked the allies for help sourcing vital materials including food and ammunition as his troops fought off the invasion force.
The route through Norway and the Arctic Circle was the quickest way to get the crucial cargo to the Russian ports of Murmansk and Archangelsk – but it was also the most fraught with danger.
On top of terrible weather conditions supply freighters and their warship escorts came under frequent bombardment from German U-boat submarines and attack aircraft. More than 3,000 Allied seamen were killed during the trips between 1941 and 1945.
Bernard was accompanied to the commemorative exhibition opening by his son Ian Gough and daughter Sandra Percival, who both said it was an unforgettable day for their father, who welcomed the chance to meet up with other veterans.
Interviewed on the occasion Bernard told journalists that he agreed with Churchill’s assessment that the Convoy journeys were ‘the worst in the world’.
The Museum has sent its formal condolences to Bernard’s family and has included an official photographic tribute to him on its Facebook site.
Bernard grew up in Handbridge, Chester, with his family including his brother, Stanley, who served as a Mosquito navigator during the war.
On being de-mobbed following the war Bernard returned home and obtained a job in Hoole for a short time before being recruited by BICC cables in Chester.
Ian, a retired computer software salesman, and his sister retired civil servant Sandra Percival, said their parents’ meeting was a truly romantic story.
Sandra said: “Dad was working at offices in Lower Watergate Street, Chester and Mum was working for Crosville in Chester around the same time.
“She used to get the train to Chester and then walk to the Crosville depot. Her route went by Dad’s office and he spotted her through the window several times. It got so that he used to look out for her and one day he plucked up the courage to ask her out.”
Married at St Mary’s Church, Handbridge, on September 25, 1954, the couple first lived at The Towers in Penyffordd, Flintshire, then moved briefly to Lache Hall Crescent, Chester, before eventually buying a home in Maxwell Close, Buckley, where they lived happily for many years.
Bernard and Gwynydd took part in numerous community activities in Flintshire and Chester, but their favourite leisure-time hobbies were gardening and dancing.
Dancing played a big part in their 60th wedding anniversary celebrations which Bernard organised at Rossett Hall.
Ten years later there were not so many quick-steps but plenty of smiles, gifts, balloons and cake as they marked their 70th anniversary at Cae Bryn.
Enquiries to Peter Morris Funeral Directors, Chester Street, Mold, who can be contacted 01352 700142.
