14 Oct 2026
The Soviet Military Mission in London, 1941-1946
A Soviet military mission operated in wartime London. The Admiralty preserved both sides of its correspondence with the British Naval Mission in Moscow.
British decorations awarded to Soviet seamen — what the Admiralty files record
14 October 2026My Regiment UK editorial team
Two Admiralty files of 1941-1943 record British decorations awarded to Russian naval and merchant-marine personnel, and awards for the rescue of convoy survivors in Russian waters.
Between 1941 and 1943 the Admiralty kept a file on British decorations awarded to Soviet seamen. Its title at The National Archives reads: "FOREIGN COUNTRIES (52): British decorations awarded to Russian Naval and Mercantile Marine personnel" (ADM 1/12403).
A second Admiralty file, of 1943, concerns awards made for a rescue: "CONVOYS AND ESCORTS (27): Rescue of survivors of convoy in Russian waters: awards for personnel" (ADM 1/14263).
A Foreign Office telegram of 20 July 1944, from the Prime Minister to Stalin, is catalogued as concerning Soviet decorations (FO 954/26B/420). The catalogue entry is truncated and its substance is not established from the entry alone.
The catalogue descriptions name no recipients. What is documented here is that these files exist, with these titles and dates, and that decorations were exchanged between the two allies at the level of ordinary naval and merchant seamen as well as between heads of government. The individuals decorated are not identified on this page, and no name is supplied to stand in for them. Reading the files themselves would be needed to recover the names.
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