At the tender age of just 17, Norwich man George Adams was one of the thousands of servicemen dodging German bombs and torpedoes with the Arctic convoys during the second world war which delivered vital supplies to the Soviet Union.

Now the 88-year-old, who lives in Wroxham Road has been finally recognised for his service 70 years later after being awarded the Arctic Star medal, which was awarded to members of the British Armed Forces and Merchant Navy who served above the Arctic Circle during the convoys.

Mr Adams, who was born in Harold Wood, served aboard HMS Oribi and made four trips from Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands to the Russian port city of Murmansk at a time when the convoys were in considerable danger of attack from German U boats and bombers.

He remembered witnessing an attack from a German bomber which narrowly missed the boat and landed in the water, while he also recalled how the call 'tinfish on the port side' would be made to warn the sailors a torpedo was on the way.

He saw the torpedo appear on the other side of HMS Oribi after missing its target and causing ripples in the water on its way past.

However, he said many of his colleagues on other vessels were not so lucky and he recalled the sinking of HMS Mahratta.

He added: 'It was horrible. We always left in the dark at midnight to avoid German detection. It was terrible because we were only kids really.'

However, it could nearly have been very different for Mr Adams as he nearly joined the army when he went to the recruitment hall in Romford in 1943.

He also served aboard HMS Formidable and HMS Penn in Australia and also had a role in the D-Day landings before leaving the Navy and working for Essex water companies for 40 years until his retirement.