Erection date: 16/11/2003
A gift to the people of Enfield from surviving Arctic veterans.
{Around the bird:}
Arctic Campaign Memorial Trust
Remembering thousands of brave young men and women who gave their lives in the Arctic Campaign 1941 - 45 on convoys to and from Russia.
We will remember them
Accepted on behalf of the people by the Mayor of Enfield
November 2003
{On a long plaque below the main plaque:}
The Arctic Campaign 1941 - 45
1941 Germany put the Arctic port of Murmansk under siege. Britain’s Winston Churchill, arranged with Russia’s Joseph Stalin, to send vital supplies via North Cape. Britain’s home fleet, protecting Atlantic, Mediterranean convoys and British coastal shipping now became engaged in operating in the Arctic oceans on Russian convoys.
First Britain to Russia Convoy (7 ships), sailed from Liverpool 12.7.1941, Winston Churchill called this the world's worst theatre of war: the last Russian convoy sailed from Murmansk to Britain May 23rd 1945, a four year campaign.
24hr winter darkness with huge 40ft waves, raging storms, plus sea and air battles, iced up ships and floating ice made the ‘Russian Run’ a living hell. 24hr summer daylight added great danger, sailing close to enemy occupied coasts very dangerous. With devastating losses of ships, supplies and men.
Royal Navy protected convoys, delivered thousands of tons of food, oil, guns, tanks, trucks, clothing, aircraft, ships and ammunition, to help the Russians to resist the German forces, a high price was paid, scores of ships sunk, thousands of tons of supplies lost, five million pounds worth of gold sunk with ‘HMS Edinburgh’. Thousands lost their lives; many suffered to this day, from effects of frost bite, severe injuries and exposure, many more thousands were traumatized for life. All this effort to win the freedom we take from granted today.
Unveiled 16.11.2003 in the presence of Excellency Grigory Karasin Russian Ambassador to Great Britain.
Conceived, funded and designed by the Arctic Campaign Memorial Trust: founder and Chairman R. J. Wren.
This memorial is one of many and marks the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.
{On a plaque erected to the side (north) of the monument:}
70th anniversary marking the end of the Arctic Convoy 1941 - 1945.
Former Mayor, the late Cllr Stanley Carter, a member of the Arctic Convoy, arranged this memorial for the people of Enfield.
It was unveiled by former mayor, Cllr Anne-Marie Pearce in 2003.
Unveiled 14 November 2015 by Mayor, Cllr Patricia Ekechi
Our image shows a close-up of the logo on the memorial. We think that the bird (a swallow?) used to be flying in front of an enamelled blue background, sadly now largely lost.
Site: WW2 Arctic Convoys memorial and Silver Jubilee (2 memorials)
EN1, Silver Street
We are not aware of any special connection between Enfield and the Arctic Convoys. It seems that this memorial is here because the mayor of Enfield in 1998-9 was a veteran of the campaign.
The original memorial was erected in 2003 and consists of the main plaque with the bird and, below that, the long plaque. This was arranged by Stanley Carter, the ex-mayor, and unveiled by Anne-Marie Pearce, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of WW2 (two years early).
In 2015 the plaque at the side was added. This was unveiled by Patricia Ekechi, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of the Arctic Convoy, and also to provide some information about the creation of the original memorial.
The bench with the Silver Jubilee plaque is just outside our photo, to the left, south.
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