Hero soldier's medals could fetch up to £140,000 at auction

Corporal Adam Miller from Calne was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross (CGC), one of six medals which could fetch up to £140,000 in total, for showing “almost suicidal courage.”

Cprl Miller, who joined the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) in 1998, repeatedly ran across a 50-metre bridge while being shot at in Basra in 2007.

He did so to help repair a civilian low-loader, carrying high-profile military vehicles, that had been damaged in an ambush.

The 42-year-old fixed the truck over almost two hours while coming under constant machine gun and rocket propelled grenade fire.

Over 15 minutes five mortars detonated on the vehicle, just feet from where he was working, while bullets missed him by inches, striking the vehicles and road around him.

Cprl Miller was awarded the CGC (Image: SWNS)

Recalling the moment, he said: “At the time, I was completely unaware of the severity of the situation, my sole focus was to extract the casualty vehicle to a place of safety, it was only afterwards that I realised how dangerous the situation had actually been."

Cprl Miller’s actions were described as “displaying icy nerve, professional dedication, and almost suicidal courage in an impossible situation.”

The official citation added: “The loss of military vehicles in the centre of Basra would have allowed the militias to claim a significant victory.”

A bar at the Tidworth military base was also named the Miller Bar in recognition of his bravery.

But while Cprl Miller, who was discharged in January 2023, is proud of the recognition he has received for his heroics, he is selling his medals for the benefit of his son.

“Being given the CGC was pretty surreal, and I am so proud that I am still the only member of REME to have been awarded this”, he said.

"I know that several people pass medals down their families, but I have decided to sell them now, so that my son, who is 10 years old, can benefit from the proceeds. It can help him with his education or buying a house."

The medals will go on sale at Noonans auctioneers, in Mayfair, on April 19 and are expected to reach between £100,000 and £140,000.

Cprl Miller's medals (Image: SWNS)

His CGC, which ranks second only to the Victoria Cross, is one of just 60 to have been awarded since its introduction in 1993 and is the only one to be handed to a member of the REME.