A WAR veteran is fighting a final battle for his old comrades in a bid to get them honoured for their heroic missions to Russia during the Second World War.

Roy Dykes, 83, was a Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Navy and among the men involved in dangerous voyages across the Arctic Ocean as war supplies were taken to Russia between 1941 and 1945.

The sailors ran the gauntlet of U-boats, German destroyers and air attacks - but Mr Dykes feels their achievements have been forgotten and he wants to see a new campaign medal awarded to all those involved in the mission to support the Russian forces against the Germans.

The Ministry of Defence says that the men's efforts are recognised by the award of the Atlantic Star - however it admits it is possible not all those involved would receive this award as a qualifying factor is to have served a total of six months on the Arctic missions. As far as Mr Dykes is concerned, this is not good enough and a specific medal should be made to honour all those involved in the Arctic convoys.

The father-of-two, who has four grandchildren, said: "People know about the Desert Rats, the D-Day Landings and the Battle of Britain, but no-one knows about the Arctic convoys. The longer they leave it, the fewer people there will be who can receive a new medal.

"These convoys were extremely important. They were a campaign in their own right."

Mr Dykes is now pressing the case just days before Remembrance Sunday, when people across the country will remember the millions who lost their lives during the two world wars and other conflicts.

Mr Dykes, who is the deputy mayor of Whitchurch, was a crew member of HMS Honeysuckle, a Flower Class Corvette that protected merchant ships carrying the war supplies to Russia. He still vividly remembers what it was like to be part of the convoy, which made a total of 14 trips across the ocean.

Mr Dykes, of Lynch Hill Park, Whitchurch, described freezing conditions and spoke of seeing convoy ships explode and fellow officers killed during long battles across the ocean.

He said: "We were a prime target. When we left Iceland we would be attacked on all sides. There were U-boat attacks and surface attacks from German destroyers. Aircraft would also harry us."

In his campaign to get a medal struck for those involved in the Arctic convoys, Mr Dykes has written to Prime Minister Tony Blair to request an interview and has visited the Ministry of Defence with a fellow veteran from Gosport.

"I think that we have got to get someone in the Government to look at the situation and see to it," he said. "Hopefully, the more people who know about this campaign, the more support we will receive."

North West Hampshire MP Sir George Young has offered his backing to the campaign for those involved in the Arctic missions to be awarded with a specific medal.

He said: "I have been in touch with other MPs who are also trying to get recognition for the bravery of those involved."

Miriam Adol, spokeswoman for the MoD, said: "There is already an Arctic convoy medal which covers the Russian missions. We feel it's been acknowledged in that way. If people didn't realise there was the Atlantic Star, they can apply to their local medals office and they will be told whether they are eligible."