Thomas Hartley

Flight Lieutenant Thomas Hartley served with No. 151 Wing RAF, one of the first British units deployed to the Soviet Union. In September 1941, the wing was sent to Vaenga airfield near Murmansk to provide air defence for the Arctic convoys and to train Soviet pilots on the Hurricane fighter. Hartley flew combat patrols over the Kola Peninsula and engaged German aircraft attacking the convoy routes. After returning to Britain, he continued flying operations over Western Europe. He settled in Brighton after the war and became an advocate for recognising the Arctic convoy veterans.