Arctic Convoys (Hansard, 10 May 2004)

§ Mr. Gerald Howarth
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of those who served on the Arctic convoys during the Second World War received the Russian 40th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War medal. [170357]

§ Mr. Caplin
The Royal Navy Medal Office issued approximately 15,000 Russian 40th Anniversary of Victory in the Grey t Patriotic War medals during the early 1990s to eligible Royal Navy, Royal Marine, Army, Royal Air Force and Merchant Navy personnel. It would not be possible to provide a more precise figure without a manual trawl through the relevant service records at disproportionate cost. In addition the Russian Embassy in London issued medals directly to members of both the Russian Convoy Club and the North Russia Club but the numbers involved are not known.

§ Mr. Gerald Howarth
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of those who served on the Arctic Convoys during the Second World War received the Atlantic Star. [170358]

§ Mr. Caplin
There is no definitive Medal Roll which indicates how many people received the Atlantic Star. It would not, therefore, be possible to establish how many recipients of the Atlantic Star sailed in Arctic waters on the convoys to Russia without undertaking an individual check of all the wartime personnel records which could be done only at disproportionate cost.

§ Mr. Allen
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimates he has made of the cost to the Department of awarding a medal for service on the Arctic convoys. [171121]

§ Mr. Caplin
It is not possible to determine with any certainty how many people served in Arctic waters during the Second World War, but it is estimated that more than 95,000 Royal Navy personnel may have done so. The cost of issuing a new medal to Royal Navy veterans alone, incl Acting staff costs and the cost of the medal itself, would be at least £14 million if all those eligible or their next of kin applied.