Information board about the heroes of the Northern convoys from different countries presented at the exhibition on September 2

The information board "Heroes of the Northern Convoys", telling about veterans from different countries - Russia, UK, United States and Ireland - has been compiled and published by the International Centre to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Northern convoys. Information about veterans Platon Patrushev, Charles Brodie, Peter Kavanagh and Whitson Lloyd, a convoys’ participant from the United States, is presented in two languages - Russian and English. In addition to biographical information about the heroes - their participation in convoys, awards, memories, post-war life, the stand also tells about cargo and military ships on which they took part in the Northern convoys.

The biography of each of the participants is unique in its own way, each of them is an absolute hero for their families, children, grandchildren. These are people who have shown endurance and courage in the most severe wartime conditions, and, like many thousands of veterans of the Northern convoys, have rightfully deserved to be called heroes. One of the heroes of the information board, Whitson Lloyd, a US Navy Armed Guard, was not destined to return home, create his own family and live a calm post-war life. Having survived the sinking of his vessel SS Expositor, a cargo carrier of the convoys PQ 15 and QP 12, Whitson was killed in action just a few days before the end of World War II.

Veterans Platon Patrushev (USSR, Russia) and Peter Kavanagh (Ireland) built successful naval careers after the war, and Charles Brodie (Scotland, UK) worked as a librarian and art expert in his hometown of Dundee.

On the part of the International Centre we would like to express our deepest gratitude to those people without whom the creation of the information board would have been impossible - the families of veterans Platon Patrushev, Charles Brodie and Whitson Lloyd; Peter Mulvany, the researcher of participation of the Irishmen in the World War II; Irish Military Archives, and Limerick Leader Archives for the photographs provided. In addition, the International Centre expresses deepest gratitude to Sergey Kotenev, a member of our Board of Trustees and CEO of the company MOBY SPL LIMITED (a European ferry operator) for financing the production and printing of the information board.

On September 2, 2021, the information board "Heroes of the Northern Convoys" was presented in St. Petersburg at the exhibition held as part of the celebrations in honor of the 80th anniversary of the first convoy "Dervish". The exhibition was opened at the College of Admiral Makarov State University, and its exposition, including the information board, aroused great interest among the guests of the event and the exhibition visitors.