Medal campaigner who fought for heroes of the Arctic Convoy to receive recognition dies aged 93 Commander Eddie Grenfell dies three months after recognition Fought for 17 years for medal honouring WWII Arctic Convoy Died aged 93 after being given Arctic Star by David Cameron The war veteran who successfully campaigned for a medal to honour the Arctic Convoy heroes of the Second World War has died at the age of 93. Commander Eddie Grenfell was the leading force in the 17-year fight to award a medal to 70,000 sailors whose service on what Churchill called "the worst journey in the world" to Russia went unrecognised when the conflict ended. His death comes just three months after the survivors were finally presented with their Arctic Star medals by David Cameron. Honoured: Commander Eddie Grenfell, who passed away just three months after his Arctic Star Medal was presented to him after a 17-year campaign The retired naval officer passed away at his daughter Trudie's home in Portsmouth yesterday. She said: "I want to pay tribute to his determination, his tenacity and strength. He was a legend. He was an unstoppable force who fought for what he believed in and what was right. Cdr Grenfell, a radar operator, was serving on SS Empire Lawrence when she was torpedoed during one of the supply missions to ship arms to the Soviet Union in 1942. He was blown more than 30ft clear of the ship in the blast, then survived more than ten minutes in the freezing seas before he was rescued. Trudie, 65, said her father had been in poor health and in and out of hospital for the past 18 months after he suffered a heart attack. "He was a wonderful, wonderful gentleman with true spirit," she added. After the war, he was stationed at the British Embassy in Bonn, West Germany, and used his supreme naval knowledge to advise and rebuild the nation's navy along British lines. Awarded: Cdr Grenfell was surrounded by his family when he was presented with a medal after campaigning for the last survivors of the 70,000 soldiers of the Arctic Convoy The Peterhead-born sailor spent 35 years living in Germany, before returning to the UK in the late 1970s. In the meantime, he had built up quite a following travelling Germany giving lectures in schools about Henry VIII's Tudor warship, the Mary Rose, and his beloved adopted home of Portsmouth. As an early volunteer for the Mary Rose Trust, Cdr Grenfell was instrumental in driving Portsmouth's burgeoning tourism industry and was lauded by civic leaders. However, efforts to get him awarded an OBE never materialised. In the mid-1990s, Cdr Grenfell became president of the now-defunct Russian Convoy Club and was elected by fellow veterans to start a campaign for their own Arctic Star medal. The war heroes, who faced a gauntlet of German U-boats and warplanes during the icy supply missions to Murmansk, were aggrieved that their efforts were lumped in with the separate Atlantic Campaign. Some 3,000 sailors lost their lives in the vital missions, which were dubbed "the worst journey in the world" by Winston Churchill. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was felt that time had come for an Arctic medal to be struck. The campaign thrust Cdr Grenfell into the spotlight, and he attacked the mission with typical military vigour. He often spent up to 18 hours a day writing letters to politicians, and inundated Downing Street with facts, figures and arguments outlining the veterans" injustice. His quest was strongly supported by his local newspaper The News in Portsmouth, which obtained a 46,000-signed petition and organised for 500 convoys survivors to march on Whitehall to call for a medal. Hero: The Chief of Defence Staff General Sir David Richards presents Cdr Grenfell with the first Arctic Star medal at a special ceremony At one point, the octogenarian was given his own office in the paper's print room. Despite numerous setbacks, the Labour government relented under public pressure and awarded an Arctic Star emblem badge in 2006. However, the lapel badge was far from an official medal and Cdr Grenfell fought on. His campaign received renewed vigour in 2010 when the Coalition Government came to power. Previous Conservative leaders Michael Howard and Iain Duncan Smith had backed the cause, and made public promises that a Tory government would finally strike a medal. However, now aged 91 years, Cdr Grenfell still had to fight for another two and a half years before the campaign was finally won. During that time, he clashed publicly with the armed forces minister Andrew Robathan and accused David Cameron of betraying to Tory party's medal promise. It was typical of the man, whose soft Scottish voice belied the fire which burned ferociously in his belly. Finally, after an independent Whitehall review, Mr Cameron announced last December that a new Arctic Star would be struck. Cdr Grenfell was by this time in rude health following his heart attack and could not travel to Downing Street to be given his medal. Civic leaders instead honoured him with a special event held at Portsmouth Guildhall earlier this year, which was the last time Cdr Grenfell was seen in public. The Chief of Defence Staff General Sir David Richards paid tribute to Cdr Grenfell yesterday. The UK's most senior military officer presented Cdr Grenfell with his Arctic Star at a ceremony at Portsmouth Guildhall in March this year. General Sir David Richards said: "I was delighted and truly humbled to be able to present Commander Eddie Grenfell with his Arctic medal in Portsmouth in March. Eddie was a young sailor when he endured the hardships of the Arctic convoys which Winston Churchill called the worst journey in the world. It is in great part through his tireless efforts that the achievements and endurance of those involved in the convoys have been recognised. The Second Sea Lord Vice-Admiral David Steel said: "I was greatly saddened to hear Cdr Eddie Grenfell has passed away. He fought bravely for our country in the Second World War, especially on the Arctic Convoys, and he fought just as valiantly to gain the recognition for his comrades, who endured the terrible hardships of those convoys, that they so richly deserved. I am thankful that he was able to receive his Arctic Star from the Chief of Defence Staff back in March before his passing. On behalf of the Royal Navy, I would wish to pass my sincere condolences to his family.