About our Project
Russia-British project "The last soldier of World War II"
Historically relations between Russia and Britain was never simple. Only in the years of severe trials such as during the First and Second World Wars, the governments of the two countries disregarded their differences in order to jointly resist the common enemy.
How it all began?
A striking example is the ‘Last Witness’ project designed to replace two corroded masts of HMS Belfast, a member of the Arctic convoys and the only Western European ship of the Second World War. Financier The Hon. Timothy Lewin, son of First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral of the Fleet Terence Thornton Lewin, Baron Lewin (1920-1999), himself an Arctic convoys veteran, and subsequently Chief of the Defence Staff of the Armed Forces of Great Britain, has suggested this project in 2009.
At the initiative of T. Lewin, supported by Russian Prime Minister V.V. Putin (2008-2012), a number of Russian companies took part in the ship project: United Industrial Corporation (Obedinennaya Promyshlennaya Corporaciya), Severstal and Sovcomflot, which manufactured new masts at their own expense. Technical assistance was provided by the British insurance company Lloyd's Register. On 19 October, 2010, the solemn ceremony of opening HMS Belfast took place after the replacement of the masts. Additionally, the veteran project ‘The Last Soldier of WW II’ began to be developed for supporting the soldiers of the two countries and preserving the memory of the heroic pages of the war.
Summary of the 10th anniversary of the Russian-British veterans’ movement
In 2019 both HMS Belfast project ’Last Witness’ and the Russian-British veteran project ‘The Last Soldier of WW II’ will be 10 years old. Delegations of the Great Patriotic War veterans from Russia come to Great Britain every year for the Victory Day commemoration. In turn, British veterans regularly visit Russia. Within the framework of popular diplomacy, Russian and British veterans have made their contribution to the following cases:
1. In 2013-14 taking part in the state award ceremonies organised by the Presidential Administration of Russia and the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the United Kingdom, where 3,500 British convoy veterans were awarded the USSR / Russian state award, the Ushakov Medal.
2. Contribution to the public opinion in Great Britain, under pressure of which Her Majesty's Government was compelled to take an unprecedented step: 67 years after the war, the combat merits of the veterans in the Arctic convoys in the USSR were recognized, and on 19 December 2012 the Arctic Star medal was instituted for rewarding the British veterans in the convoys.
3. Establishment of contacts and development of ties with war veterans from the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition, with members of their families.
4. Popularisation of Russian art abroad. In 2012-2013 London Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra performed twice Tchaikovsky The year 1812 Festival Overture on the open concert stage next to HMS Belfast in honour of the veterans. Other British venues also regularly hosted gala concerts.
5. Memorial events: the wreath-laying ceremony for the Soviet War Memorial, the St. George Ribbon action, the Immortal Regiment, a memorial service for the soldiers in the Russian Cathedral of the Assumption of the Mother of God and all Saints.
6. Support of social and cultural initiatives, communication with compatriots from Russia and the CIS countries, as well as British citizens. Also organisation of meetings and talks between Russian veterans and members of the British reenactment group ‘Second Guards Rifle Division of the Red Army’, courage lessons for schoolchildren of Russian and English schools (2015), and students and dons of Cambridge University (2016).
7. Veterans' participation in TV interviews, interviews for online publications and reports on BBC Scotland, BBC Alba, Russia-1, Channel 1, NTV, Channel 5, Russia Today; newspaper and internet publications.
8. Focus on the role of the USSR and its Allies in the victory over Nazism. Creation of documentary films about the celebration of the Victory Day in Great Britain and the participants in the war, including documentary ‘Red Division’ (2015), ‘The White Road to the Red Shore’ (2018).
9. Donation of exhibits to the museums of Moscow: the museum of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, the museum ‘Allies and Lend-Lease’; to the museums of England: the museum HMS Belfast; to Scotland: the museum Northern convoys in Aulthbea. Creation of a museum of the history of the Northern convoys in the State University of the Merchant and River Navy in St.Petersburg. Promotion of initiatives to perpetuate the memory of the participants of the Northern convoys of 1941-1945, and the opening of the memorial in St. Petersburg (2014) and the monument in Arkhangelsk (2015) .
These veteran trips became possible thanks to the financial support of the Russian companies - PJSC (public join-stock company) Aeroflot, PJSC Sovkomflot, PJSC Arbat Capital and British - BSI Global Group, Cultural Solidarity Media, Securities Research Associates Ltd.
And finally, a few words about myself.
I was born in St. Petersburg in 1965 and grew up in Pavlograd (Western Donbass, the Ukrainian SSR). In 1983 I was conscripted for national military service in the Soviet Navy and served in the Black Sea Fleet Air Arm.
After graduation from the Military Academy of Languages I was commissioned into the Army Linguist Corps as a Lieutenant on 30 June 1989 in the specialty of Army translator in Arabic and English.
During 1987-1992 I served in a group of Soviet military advisers and specialists in Libya and in Syria. I was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. After retirement from the military service I settled in Moscow. During 1999-2016 I worked in the field of international military cooperation focusing on Russo-British military relations.
I earned my PhD dissertation entitled "Iraq in the system of the military-political relations in the Persian Gulf region (1979-2003)". I am the author of the book "Zigzags of the Saddam Hussein's Defence Policy".
Yours faithfully,
Lt Col (Retd) Alexander Goncharov
Co-organiser of the Russia-British project ‘The last soldier of WW2’