For a fierce patriot like me nothing stirs more pride, or elicits more gratefulness, than the war records of those men and women who served to preserve our way of life.
So when I learnt of one very special WWII archive belonging to Allerton-born seaman Kenneth Hanson (no relation) I was determined to find out more.
His medals, handwritten accounts and war record are expected to sell for £600-£800 at our militaria sale on Wednesday.
Kenneth was a teenager in 1942 when he began serving with the cruiser class HMS Jamaica where he was soon employed as a radar operator.
After Hitler’s invasion of Russia in 1941, the Jamaica had been part of the Arctic convoys escorting Allied ships carrying much-need ammunition, machinery and food to the northern Russian ports of Murmansk and Archangel.
It was famously described by the wartime leader, Winston Churchill, as the “worst journey in the world”.
To avoid detection from German U-boats, the convoy operated in the permanent darkness of the winter months. Troops faced a combination of freezing weather, pack ice, and rough seas.
Men who fell into the sea survived only minutes.
Able Seaman Hanson also took part in the last classic battleship-on-battleship gun duel fought in European waters.
The Battle of the North Cape is still revered in naval history but forgotten by much of the public – perhaps overshadowed by better-known WWII engagements like the Bismarck chase and the Battle of the Atlantic.
It took place on Boxing Day 1943, less than a year after AB Hanson joined the HMS Jamaica and just days before his 21st birthday.
The British goal was to sink the mighty German warship Scharnhorst – the pride of the Nazi fleet which had for years stalked the northern seas.
Two British convoys were used to lure Scharnhorst the out of its Norwegian base.
But unknown to the Germans, the Royal Navy was using the convoys as bait and had set a massive trap
The Jamaica was one of the British cruisers, along with the HMS Duke of York, to turn their gunfire on the German battlecruiser.
The conditions were appalling – near blackness, rough seas, snow squalls and freezing spray.
And yet the British ships prevailed and it was two torpedoes from the Jamaica that dealt the Scharnhorst its final blow before sinking with the loss of 1,968 men.
It was an enormous psychological blow for the German nation and a crucial step in the Allied nations’ efforts.
With admirable brevity AB Hanson writes in his diary: “1943 Dec 26. At Sea. Artic Ocean. Action Stations 10.00. Scharnhorst chased by HMS Belfast, Norfolk and Sheffield, encountered by HMS Dule of York and “Jamaica” at 16.30. The ensuing action resulted in the sinking of the Destroyers Savage, Scoprion, Saumarez and Stord. Also four others.”
Men who served with the Arctic convoys regarded it as the grimmest theatre of the entire war.
But it was only a 13 years ago that their extreme bravery was recognised.
Following decades of campaigning by veterans who believed the sacrifices of Arctic convoy crews had never been fully recognised, the first Arctic Stars were officially awarded on March 19, 2013.
Sadly for AB Hanson, who died in 1991, it was too late.
But it was awarded retrospectively to his widow in 2014 and now takes pride of place among a remarkable larger collection of medals.
But while the events of that freezing day in December 1943 must have cast an indelible shadow over the life of the young seaman, it did nothing to deter future service.
In 1947 he transferred to the Royal Fleet Reserve serving on the HMS Dryad, Drake, and Loch Veyatie until 1952.
Alongside the Arctic Star are the 1939–1945 Star, the Atlantic Star, the France and Germany Star and the War Medal 1939–1945.
The impressive cache also includes the Russian-issued Jubilee Medal for ‘Forty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945’.
Issued by the Soviet authorities, it was awarded to Russian troops, partisans, and home front workers, as well as British and Canadian veterans who took part in the Arctic Convoys.
It’s rare to see such a well-documented archive from such an unsung war record.
The archive includes fascinating service documents as well as type and hand-written accounts recording one man’s unstinting service in WWII and beyond.
What a remarkable archive, which deserves to be seen by a wider public.
Let’s hope the memory of AB Kenneth Hanson – Derby’s finest – lives on.
Auction Details
Auction: The Hansons Medals, Militaria & Firearms Auction
Auction date: 27th May 2026 | 10am
Location: Hansons’ Derbyshire Saleroom
Auction contact: [email protected]
Catalogue/bidding: www.hansonslive.co.uk | www.the-saleroom.com
