Stafford man's weary World War Two teddy bear up for auction

The bear was a gift after Allied forces liberated a Dutch town in 1944

A teddy bear that was said to have been present during World War Two battles is set to go under the hammer.

The bear was a gift to 76-year-old Tom Matthews, from Stafford, from his father after the war.

His father received it from a Dutch woman after he was stationed in her village which had been "stripped bare" by the German forces in 1944.

Mr Matthews' father Tom Sr used the bear as a pillow when he slept in his tank during the Battle of the Bulge.

Mr Matthews' father served Royal Artillery's 62nd anti-tank regiment in WW2

Mr Matthews said the teddy was part of his father's war story, adding: "My father was given the bear by a teacher he was billeted with.

"He was humbled by the gift as she had so little. She wanted him to take the bear home for me as she was so appreciative of what he'd done."

Mr Matthews added: "The bear also crossed the Rhine, came under shell fire and took part in the Allies' victory parade in Berlin, sitting on dad's lap."

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Mr Matthews remembers the bear being bigger than him when his dad first brought it home

Mr Matthews and his wife, Mo, have no children and no-one to leave the bear to, and it has spent the past 40 years in their loft.

"I'd hate him to end up in a skip during house clearance because someone thinks he's just a scruffy old bear," he said.

"He's seen and done a lot of things - more than most people."

Mr Matthews hopes the bear's buyer will share his story

The bear is expected to fetch up to £600 when it goes up for auction at Hansons Auctioneers in London on 9 December.

Owner Charles Hanson said he was "honoured" to sell the toy, adding: "I've never heard such an amazing story connected to a humble teddy bear".