WILTSHIRE’S Arctic Convoy veterans are to have their stories of camaraderie and bravery recorded for all time as part of a £10,000 oral history project.

There are now just 23 servicemen left in Wiltshire and Swindon who braved the most treacherous Arctic route, described by Sir Winston Churchill as “the worst journey in history”, to deliver vital supplies to the allies in the Second World War.

From 1941 to 1945 their convoys of merchant and navy ships crossed the Arctic route on a perilous route which cost more than 85 merchant vessels and 16 warships, with more than 3,000 casualties.

At a special ceremony at County Hall last autumn members of both the Arctic Convoy and bomber command were given the Arctic Convoy Star Medal from the Ministry of Defence to recognise their bravery and the important role they played in the war effort.

Now their memories are to be recorded for posterity after the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre was awarded a £10,000 Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) Sharing Heritage Grant to help collect their stories before they are lost to the passing of time. The centre, which is jointly funded by Wiltshire Council and Swindon Borough Council, will enlist the help of a professional oral historian and volunteers from the Trowbridge branch of the naval charity the White Ensign Association to conduct the interviews.

The interviews will form part of an online exhibition and also be used to create a drama by a youth theatre group at Salisbury Playhouse.

Stuart Wheeler, Cabinet member with responsibility for heritage at Wiltshire Council said: “These brave veterans provided a vital service to the war effort and I’m delighted we’ve been given this funding to capture their personal recollections for generations to come.”