Sailors `treated to Russian call girls'

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), Jan 4, 2006

Byline: By Jamie Diffley

They faced some of the harshest conditions of the war, were under constant threat from German bombs and risked their lives to deliver much-needed supplies to keep Russia in the battle.

For decades they fought to receive medals and be recognised for their bravery during the Second World War.

But according to a Russian film director, sailors once described by Winston Churchill as "the bravest souls afloat", were more than rewarded on their missions ( with high-class hookers.

Oscar-nominated Aleksei Uchitel is claiming that sailors, including many from the North East, were provided with sex by KGB-trained prostitutes when they reached the Russian city of Murmansk.

The director said documents unearthed in Soviet naval archives reveal official army nightclubs were, in fact, Russian bordellos set up in a pact between Churchill and Stalin to provide girls to the sailors after their 1,600-mile voyage.

Shooting on the film is expected to start later this year and could feature a number of Hollywood heavyweights.

But survivors from the North East today rubbished the claims.

John Clayburn is chairman of the North East Russian Convoy Club, and said he had never even heard the allegations before.

The 80-year-old, of Sunderland, who has been married to Joyce, 79, for 54 years, said: "I never went to Murmansk but I know an awful lot of people who did and nothing like this has ever been mentioned.

"I don't think this is true at all."

Club secretary Bob Robertson, 85, of South Shields, sailed to Murmansk four times in just over 12 months.

And he said he saw nothing like this on his travels.

Bob said: "Murmansk was devastated because it was constantly getting bombed. I never went to a nightclub ashore and neither did anyone else on my ship and there was no talk of Russian girls.

"Films are just films but in my experience what is being said here is certainly not true."

Shakespeare In Love star Joseph Fiennes, who is a pal of the director, has expressed an interest in appearing in the film, as has John Malkovich.

Russia's most famous actor Evegeny Mironov has also been approached for the film, which has the working title The Churchill Houses.

Only last month 12 heroes from the North East were honoured for their war efforts at Gateshead Civic Centre.