Man’s memento of the Arctic Convoys was… a pint glass – by MARCUS STEAD:
One of the last surviving veterans of the Arctic Convoys in World War II, Harold Boudier, has died at the age of 97.
A total of 78 convoys took vital supplies of food and military equipment to northern Russia after the Soviet Union joined the war in 1941, a voyage described by Winston Churchill as “the most dangerous journey in the world”.
The convoys transported nearly eight million tonnes of supplies and munitions between 1941 and 1945, but their importance and bravery was largely neglected in the decades that followed as Russia went from being an ally to a Cold War enemy, and their contribution has only been more fully recognised in recent years with the awarding of medals to veterans.
Mr Boudier, who lived in Penarth, was prevented from joining the Royal Navy due to being colourblind, but in 1944, at the age of 18, he signed on for the Merchant Navy in Cardiff.
He saw action when he was sent to Liverpool to join HMS Premier, an American-built aircraft carrier which became involved in transporting aircraft and anti-submarine exercises.
On 18th April 1945, Mr Boudier, then aged 19, was on board HMS Premier when she joined the escort JW 66 in what proved to be the final Arctic Convoy to the Soviet Union.
The 25-strong escort was protecting around 27 mainly American supply vessels heading for Murmansk, and aircraft from the carrier provided air cover.
Mr Boudier worked as an engineer’s writer, responsible for all the clerical work and communications for the engine room, including reports for the Admiralty. HMS Premier escaped the attention of the U-boats and the outward voyage passed without incident, and she then spent five days outside the Port of Murmansk.
Mr Boudier went to a small fishing village and was wandering by himself when he was confronted by a Russian with a rifle. After failing to overcome the language barrier, he turned around and walked away.
Mr Boudier took the opportunity to do some trading in the village. He exchanged a pair of long boot stockings for a bottle of vodka, which was in scarce supply back home, and proved to be a welcome gift for his girlfriend.
The return voyage, convoy RA.66, proved to be far more eventful and dangerous. By this time, 14 U-boats were lying in wait for the convoy off the Kola Inlet and it was to be the Royal Navy’s last battle with enemy submarines.
HMS Goodall was torpedoed with the loss of 97 lives, while two German submarines were sunk on 29th April.
HMS Premier’s aircraft patrols saw off hostile aircraft, then one of the anti-submarine patrol planes – an Avenger – crashed into the stern of the ship on its return from patrol, and despite the engine catching fire, all three crew members were able to crawl free and the aircraft was disentangled and ditched.
The ship returned to Scapa Flow on 7th May where the news was announced on the Tannoy that the war had ended and there would be leave the next day for half the crew.
Mr Boudier was on the half of the crew who were granted a day’s leave, and they went to the NAAFI (catering) for food and a large amount to drink. He filled a tankard with beer, and carried it along the quayside, up the gangway and handed it to a friend who wasn’t allowed leave that day.
When his friend had finished the pint, he handed the glass back to Mr Boudier, who kept it and took it to his local pub every VE Day.
Following the fall of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s, Mr Boudier received an offer from the mayor of Murmansk to return to the town for a visit, where he stayed with a local family, headed by a preacher. He kept in touch with the host family and the school, who were very keen learners of history and started their own museum.
In recent years, the Russian Embassy has marked the role of UK veterans, and in 2015 Mr Boudier, along with other surviving members of the Arctic Convoys were presented with the Arctic Star medal at a ceremony in Cardiff to mark the 70th anniversary.
In 2020, Mr Boudier received a further medal from the Russian Embassy to mark the 75th anniversary of the Arctic Convoys, which was sent to him by post and without ceremony due to pandemic restrictions.
Mr Boudier was an active member of the once-thriving South Wales Russian Convoy Club, made up of 200 veterans, but at the time of the 75th anniversary, he said he only knew of two others who were still alive.
Another veteran of the Arctic Convoys, Alan Higgins, who was originally from Barry, also received medals to mark the 70th and 75th anniversaries. Mr Higgins died in July last year at the age of 97.
After the war, Mr Boudier studied chemistry, physics and maths at Cardiff University, before initially deciding to re-join the Merchant Navy as an assistant purser, where for a short time he was aboard the Rhodesia Star, which turned out to be the new name for his old ship, HMS Premier.
Mr Boudier went on to settle in Penarth where he worked as an industrial chemist and raised five children with his wife Rhona, who predeceased him in 2017.
🌟 This article first appeared in the printed edition of the Glamorgan Star on 06.11.22. Read it in print first!
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