Falklands hero's medals sell for £65,000 as widow honours his final wish

A Falklands War hero's medals have sold for £65,000 at auction, fulfilling his final wish that the proceeds would give his widow financial security.

The Military Medal group belonging to Corporal Barry "Baz" Grayling of 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment went under the hammer at Noonans Mayfair in London.

The collection, which had been expected to fetch between £50,000 and £70,000, drew fast bids before reaching the final price.

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Cpl Grayling was just 19 years old when he took part in a night-time assault on Argentine positions at Goose Green in May 1982, the first and longest battle of the conflict.

Alongside his best friend Gaz Bingley, he charged five enemy positions, helping to destroy a machine gun nest.

His friend was killed in the attack, and Cpl Grayling was wounded when a bullet struck his water bottle, an impact he later said saved his life.

Their company commander, Major Phil Neame, explained: "He'd [Bingley] gone to ground not really knowing quite where these machine guns were and found himself virtually overlooking the position.

"He and Grayling just went in and did an immediate assault and the two of them took the five-strong position between them.

"But Bingley was killed in the process and Grayling slightly injured.

"It was that sort of immediate get up and go and flair that really got us out of a very sticky situation."

Both men were awarded the Military Medal for bravery, and Cpl Grayling received his award at Buckingham Palace later that year.

After the war, he returned to his hometown of Felixstowe in Suffolk, where the mayor hosted a civic reception to mark his investiture.

He later left the Army, settled in the United States and spent two decades working in education and coaching sport at Pasco High School in Florida.

Cpl Grayling died in December 2024, aged 60. His widow Sher, consigned the medals for sale, saying it was her husband's final wish that they should provide her with financial security.

"He tried to talk to me about selling the medals when he was sick, and I wouldn't hear it," she said.

"So he told my daughter to make me do it so that I would have some financial security."

In tribute to his years at Pasco High, staff and students launched the Pasco-Grayling Memorial Invitational, an annual 5K run and scholarship programme created in his memory.