Dumfries: Iraq War Veteran sells medal for £140,000 to fund family home

A Scottish Veteran recently sold his ‘Iraq 2003’ C.G.C. (Conspicuous Gallantry Cross) medal for what amounts to nearly $200,000.

Shaun Garry Jardine of Dumfries, Scotland, sold his award at Dix Noonan Webb’s auction of Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria, last Wednesday, July 21, 2021.

The C.G.C. is second only to the Victoria Cross, the highest honor available to members of the British Armed Forces.

While it seems surprising that Jardine’s medal fetched such an enormous price from a private collector, it did so for a reason.

Jardine’s C.G.C. is the only one ever to have been awarded to any Scottish Regiment. And a brief rundown of his story will explain why that is.

Back in 2003, Jardine was only 21-years-old and a Quick Reaction Force fire-team leader. After being pinned down with no reinforcements in an unsafe position near Al-Uzayr security base, Maysan Province, Jardine took action.

He ordered covering fire and assaulted three enemy positions in sequence, allowing his men to move forward and force the enemy to withdraw.

Jardine, who left the army this year after over two decades of service, sold the medals to help procure a house for his family.

Jardine’s Story

In his own words, the Veteran describes the events that led to his award as follows:

“I started running across the bridge and they had seen me immediately. They were lying down, prone position, and firing at me as I ran; I saw their fingers on the triggers, then the muzzle flashes and then I could hear the rounds zipping past. I remember thinking, Why are they not hitting me?… I got to within 15 or 20 meters of them and just thought, I’m going no further, here. I dropped to one knee, aimed, fired one round, quickly moved onto the second, and fired again… I just aimed at the body and in both cases my rounds went into the chest, under the arm, and came out the back of the neck. Both guys were instantly dead.”

Continuing to suppress the machine gun, Jardine called his team forward and, after identifying a third enemy position, ordered heavy fire to be laid down on both positions until the enemy disengaged.

Jardine’s instantaneous courage in the face of a driven enemy attack unquestionably prevented casualties among his own team and supporting units.

After the sale, Jardine remarked: “I am very happy with the result and what Dix Noonan Webb have done for me to get such a good price for my medals. It will really help towards securing a new home for my family.”