Arthur was born in Hackney on 11th December 1924, the eldest son of Arthur William Croft. Arthur (snr) had served with The Hackney Rifles and as an air raid warden in WW2 but sadly he passed away when young Arthur was only 19 years old. Shortly afterwards, Arthur sailed on his maiden Arctic Convoy.
Arthur William Croft (jnr) entered naval service aged 18 in March 1943. After training, he served as a gunner aboard the light cruiser HMS Bellona (63) from September 1943 onwards. Arthur served with Bellona on six Arctic Convoys. Three outward and three returns. He took many remarkable photographs on board ship, which vividly captured the ferocity of arctic weather.
Arthur, and the rest of the seamen who served on RA63 and RA 64, probably experienced the worst sustained weather conditions of the entire arctic campaign. The weather was so extreme that 12 destroyers protecting RA64 merchantmen were forced to port for repair on return to UK.
Arthur married Grace Kathleen Farham in September 1945. A year later, he was demobbed by which time he was a father to Anthony John, the first of his five children. Post war, Arthur managed a successful company that restored metal signs and crests. Arthur suffered a heart attack and died in Epping on 11th September 1977, at the tender age of 52.
[submitted by volunteer E. Thompson with assistance from the family of Arthur Croft]