A historic Rolex watch and medals belonging to a WW2 hero involved in The Great Escape have been sold for over £160,000 in Bourne End.
The items, originally belonging to Flt Lieutenant John F Williams, were sold at the Bourne End Auction Rooms on Station Approach yesterday (02/12) for £165,000.
Flt Lieutenant Williams was one of 50 soldiers executed by the Gestapo under Hitler’s orders following the Great Escape in 1944.
His RAF berets, Irvin Gold Caterpillar club pin, correspondence from the POW camp and war time photographs were also sold.
Valuer at the auction rooms, William Emmett said: “It is the third or fourth most expensive item we have sold and the most historic. In this case it is not how much it cost but the history behind it.”
“We spoke to the vendor and he did not realise how much it was worth he felt a bit worried about looking after it and found it a bit of a liability.
“He decided he would rather raise the money and pay for his 3 children to go to university.”
The collection was sold to a private collector who wishes to stay anonymous.
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