A war veteran being cared for at Velindre Cancer Centre has finally been honoured for his Royal Navy service after 70 years.
Verne Pockett, aged 93, from Hengoed, served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War and last week received his medal for his time spent on the Arctic Convoys.
Staff members, with permission from Mr Pockett, decided to contact the MOD Medal Office and asked them to award the Arctic Star as a matter of urgency. The Medal Office fast-tracked his application and sent the medal to the hospital.
The Cancer Centre staff also arranged a ceremony for Mr Pockett’s family and friends and invited Sir Norman Lloyd Edwards, who was Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant for South Glamorgan from 1990 to 2008, to present the medal in full naval uniform.
After receiving his medal in a ward garden at Velindre Cancer Centre, former miner Mr Pockett said: “I am very proud to receive this medal on behalf of all my colleagues who served alongside me.
“I remember the conditions at sea during that time were terrible – we were happy to get in our hammocks at night.
“I’d like to thank everyone at Velindre who has helped me and who took the time to arrange for this medal to be awarded to me.”
Senior Radiographer at Velindre Cancer Centre Simon Lawrence, who is also a Reserve Major in the 203 Welsh Field Hospital, helped to organise the medal presentation.
He said: “We were delighted when the MOD Medal Office got back to us to say that Mr Pockett’s medal was on its way to the hospital.
“Mr Pockett deserved his medal for the service he gave during World War II, so speeding up the process of him receiving it is the least we could do.”
Prof Rosemary Kennedy, Chair of Velindre NHS Trust, said: “Our staff at Velindre Cancer Centre are committed to excellence in patient care and this is an example of how they work so hard to make people feel comfortable during their time at the hospital.
“I would like to congratulate Mr Pockett on this excellent achievement. I imagine that serving on a naval vessel in freezing Arctic conditions 70 years ago was extremely difficult and I’m sure Mr Pockett will be very proud to receive his medal.”
The Arctic Star is a campaign medal of the United Kingdom, awarded for service in World War II. The medal is awarded for any length of service above the Arctic Circle by members of the British Armed Forces and the Merchant Navy.