Victoria Cross of Somme hero who repelled repeated German attacks after he was left behind enemy lines sells for £288,000
Corporal George Sanders was one of nine British servicemen to receive gallantry award for incredible bravery on first day of battle
A VICTORIA Cross awarded a hero of the Somme who repelled repeated German attacks for two days after he was accidentally left behind enemy lines has sold for £288,000.
Corporal George Sanders was one of nine British servicemen to receive the gallantry award on the first day of the battle in 1916.
Although his unit had achieved their objective of occupying German positions, the slaughter of nearly 20,000 Allied soldiers led to orders to retreat.
But the group didn't get the message and instead held their ground.
With all the officers and NCOs killed, it fell on Cpl Sanders to take charge, rousing the men and organising their defence.
He and a band of 30 comrades repelled repeated German attacks over two days with little ammunition and no food or water.
Not only did the men stand firm but they also managed to rescue some British soldiers who had been captured by the Germans.
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The 19-strong group were later relieved and Cpl Sanders was recommended for the highest award for gallantry.
He was sent back to England in November and received a hero's welcome in his home city of Leeds before being presented with the prestigious decoration the next day by King George V at Buckingham Palace.
After returning to the Western Front, Cpl Sanders was promoted to Captain and was awarded the Military Cross for bravery during an overwhelming German assault at Kemmel Hill in April 1918.
He was shot in the arm and leg in the action and was last seen stood on top of a pill box rallying his men and firing his revolver at the enemy 20 yards away.
After the action he was listed as missing and it wasn't until three months later he was able to write to tell his family he was alive and being held prisoner by the Germans.
His Victoria Cross and Military Cross were passed down through the family over the years and were sold for the very first time at London auctioneers Dix Noonan Webb.
The medal group had been given a pre-sale estimate of £220,000, but sold for a £240,000 hammer price.
With all the fees added on the total price paid was £288,000.
They were bought by the millionaire Conservative peer Lord Ashcroft, who owns the world's largest collection of VCs.
Cpl Sanders' medal will now go on public display with the rest of Lord Ashcroft's collection at the Imperial War Museum.
Of the nine VCs awarded on the first day of the Somme, six are in museums with the other three held privately.
A spokesman for Dix Noonan Webb said: "This is a very happy outcome to the sale.
"The Victoria Cross and other awards won by George Sanders will now go on display in London where they will be seen by visitors from all over the world."
After the war Capt Sanders worked at the Meadow Lane Gasworks in Leeds and during the Second World War was the commanding officer for the Home Guard at the works.
He died in 1950 aged 55 following a long illness.
His medal collection, which was sold along with an archive of documents and photographs, included the VC, MC, 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal and George VI Coronation Medal.
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