George Cross from 1951 Battle of Imjin River to be sold

Lt Terry Waters had only recently graduated from Sandhurst when he died

A George Cross awarded to an officer who fought in the 1951 Korean War could fetch up to £180,000 at auction.

Lt Terry Waters, 21, was part of 1st Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment that held off much larger Chinese forces at the Battle of Imjin River.

He took over the company after all senior officers were killed despite being wounded in the head and leg.

Auctioneer Christopher Mellor-Hill said: "This has to be one of the most heroic George Crosses awarded."

Lt Waters was captured and died as a prisoner of war in atrocious conditions in Kangdong Caves, near Pyongyang.

' Highest gallantry'

The final paragraph of Waters' original George Cross recommendation says: "He was a young, inexperienced officer, comparatively recently commissioned from the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.

"Yet he set an example of the highest gallantry that may be asked of any Briton: he sacrificed his life rather than dishonour his nation.

"Surely his death, chosen so selflessly and so courageously at Pyongyang, must stand with the finest epics of personal courage in the history of British prowess."

The medal, which is being sold by Lt Water's Bristol-based family, is due to be auctioned at Dix Noonan Webb on 17 February.