Barnstaple Royal Marine to sell medals to help his children

Royal Marine John Thompson after receiving the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross from the Queen at Buckingham Palace

A Royal Marine repeatedly recognised for his bravery in combat is selling his seven medals to "provide the best opportunities" for his children.

Sgt Major John Thompson, 43, a single father of three from Devon, served in Northern Ireland, Afghanistan and Iraq.

He said of the sale that his children "know their daddy is a hero".

The medals include a Conspicuous Gallantry Cross (CGC), an honour one level down from a Victoria Cross, for "selfless and courageous actions".

Sgt Major Thompson said when he had felt "quite anxious" about selling the medals

Auctioneers expect the veteran marine's medals to fetch between £120,000 and £140,000.

"I'm a single parent of a six, eight and a 21-year-old and the money will enable me to provide the best opportunities for them as they grow up," said Sgt Major Thompson, who now lives in Barnstaple.

"Being a father is the most important role I've ever had, which I didn't fully appreciate when I was running around Iraq and Afghanistan, and I'm doing this for them."

He said when he thought about selling them he felt "quite anxious" but he was "quite content to sell them because I know they'll stay in a cherished collection".

He added: "At the end of the day, the greatest thing for me is not the medals, it is that my children know their daddy is a hero."

Sgt Major Thompson became a Royal Marines Commando in 1998.

In 2003, he received a Mentioned in Despatches medal for exceptional gallantry after he rescued colleagues in his Delta Company who had become surrounded by enemy forces at Al Yahudia, Iraq.

He was given the CGC after his company was ambushed by the Taliban in the Helmand province of Afghanistan in January 2007.

He opened fire on the enemy, making himself the focus of the shooting and his "selfless and courageous actions" led the company to win the encounter.

"Having grown up on a council estate in Plymstock where my mum often went without food to feed me, I just never believed I could achieve so much," he said.

Dix Noonan Webb is auctioning the medals along with other personal items on 8 December.