A soldier auctioned off his bravery medal for £140,000 to buy a house for his family.

Shaun Garry Jardine, 39, was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross after his quick reaction force came under attack in 2003 while he was serving in the Iraq War.

Then just 21, he successfully helped his men move forward, and the enemy withdraw.

The medal, which is second only to the Victoria Cross in honouring combat gallantry, praised his quick-thinking, courage and inspirational leadership.

He served as a corporal in the King’s Own Scottish Borderers and later the Royal Regiment of Scotland, rising to the rank of warrant officer class 2.

Shaun, who recently left the Army having joined aged 16, said he as selling the medal as part of a set with six others as he would like to buy a house for his family.

‘I am very happy with the result and what Dix Noonan Webb have done for me to get such a good price for my medals,’ said Shaun, who is from Dumfries in Scotland.

It will really help towards securing a new home for my family.’

Describing his actions in Iraq, he said: ‘I started running across the bridge and they had seen me immediately.

‘They were lying down, prone position, and firing at me as I ran; I saw their fingers on the triggers, then the muzzle flashes and then I could hear the rounds zipping past.

‘I remember thinking, “Why are they not hitting me?”, I got to within 15 or 20 metres of them and just thought, “I’m going no further here.”‘

The soldier killed two of his attackers before calling his team forward and attacking a third enemy position.

Auctioneers Dix Noonan Webb said it is the only Conspicuous Gallantry Cross to have been awarded to a Scottish regiment.

Christopher Mellor-Hill, head of client liaison at the firm, said only 60 of the medals have been awarded to date, 15 of which were for the Iraq War.

He added: ‘We are delighted to see Shaun Jardine’s medals sell for a well-deserved £140,000, being unique to a Scottish regiment and also being one of the few remaining awards available to collectors for the Iraq War.’

The medals were auctioned alongside a print of David Rowland’s painting of the recipient winning the medal, and a file containing 15 letters of congratulation.

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