Sailor finally gets a medal for helping keep supply lines open in World War II TRUE HERO: Eric Cripps and son Lindsay with the Arctic Star medal which he earned for serving with the World War II Arctic Convoys. The HMS Intrepid on which Eric Cripps served from 1941 to 43. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill described the convoys as having to take "the worst journey in the world." WARTIME SAILOR: Eric Cripps and wife Irene in 1942. AFTER a seven-decade wait for proper recognition, ex-serviceman Eric Cripps' shiny war medal has finally arrived. In the small padded postal envelope, 92-year-old Mr Cripps found the Arctic Star - England's newest World War II medal for the heroes who kept supply lines open to the Eastern Front. Mr Cripps, now living on the Sunshine Coast, is one of only 200 British veterans alive today to receive the honour. "I feel rather angry that it has taken all this time," Mr Cripps said. We should never have had to beg for it. The Arctic Convoys supplied vital cargo and munitions to the Soviet Union through the freezing, desolate Arctic seas. Ships of allied troops dodged German plane, ship and U-boat ambushes along the iceberg-ridden route. It is believed that without the vital supply chain being kept up between 1941-1945, the Germans could have won the war. Until now, the English government had refused to mint a new medal, despite the Russians wanting to. Mr Cripps, who moved to the Sunshine Coast 33 years ago, was a signalman on the HMS Intrepid from 1941-1943 and sailed back and forth 14 times. "Winston Churchill said it was the worst journey in the world and it really was," Mr Cripps said. It wasn't just the icebergs. It was the enormous seas as high as a six-storey building. There were aircraft waiting to bomb us and U-boats waiting to sink us. It was a very bad journey. I lost a lot of good friends. More than 3000 Royal Navy and merchant seamen died on the convoys. Campaigners began calling for a medal in the mid-90s but English governments were reluctant to recognise the missions at a time when "Russia was a dirty word." Mr Cripps said the Russians had long appreciated their efforts. "The Russians were the first to ever give credit to us," he said. If this is the best the British government can do, then I must accept that.