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  Friday, November 20, 2009

 Highest price paid for a Victoria Cross-Spink sets world record

 LONDON, UK --A Victoria Cross medal awarded to Flight Lieutenant Bill Reid was bought by an anonymous bidder at Spink, for £348,000 at auction-setting the new world record for the Highest price paid for a Victoria Cross awarded to a Briton.

   Photo: The Victoria Cross (far left) and other service medals sold at auction yesterday to a female collector. Photograph: Spink (enlarge photo)

   
Flt Lt Reid was honoured for his part in a bombing raid over Germany in 1943. He flew his Lancaster bomber 200 miles towards its target despite having been wounded in two separate fighter attacks.

   He also managed to get the plane back to the UK after the attack despite the death of his navigator and the fatal wounding of his wireless operator.   

   A citation announcing the honour said: 'Flight Lieutenant Reid showed superb courage and leadership in penetrating 200 miles... to attack one of the most strongly defended targets in Germany.'

   Mark Quayle, the medal specialist for Spink, said: "This was a fully justified price, reflective of a remarkable act of gallantry."

   Flt Lt Reid, who later joined the RAF's 617 Squadron – better known as the Dambusters – was shot down in 1944 and spent the rest of the war as a prisoner. (read the full story here)

   Photo: Flight Lieutenant Bill Reid was awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery on a bombing raid on Germany in 1943
   (enlarge photo)


   A married father of two, he died aged 79 in Crieff, Perthshire.
   Eight years after his death, his family decided to sell the VC. It was bought, with Flight Lieutenant Reid's other medals, by a woman collector.

   Collector Melissa John said she had bought it in memory of her brother, Christopher who died last year aged only 47. Miss John, from Wales, sobbed as she added: 'I collected medals with him. He always wanted a VC.'

    The world record for a VC is £491,567 paid in Sydney, Australia. (This record is for the Highest price paid for a Victoria Cross awarded to a Briton).
   The previous Guinness world record for the Highest price paid for a Victoria Cross awarded to a Briton was set in 2004 for a VC of £230,000.

   The Victoria Cross, the highest honour for gallantry in the armed forces, was first awarded by Queen Victoria in 1854.

   Related world records:
   Most hours spent flying the F-16 -Air Force pilot sets world record

    Fastest mile in a bomb suit-world record set by Lt. Jonathan Kehoe

  Most expensive Christmas tree-world record set by Ginza Tanaka

  Most expensive Christmas bauble-Hallmark Jewellers sets world record

 
 Most expensive bottle of beer-world record set by Lowebrau

  Most expensive letter from Titanic-world record set by Spink Smythe 

   
Friday, November 20, 2009

 
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