By . Sara Malm . PUBLISHED: . 11:12 EST, 19 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 03:36 EST, 20 July 2012 . The first Victoria Cross to have been awarded to a private in the First World War was today sold at auction for £276,000. Private Sidney Godley 'set the standard for the British Tommy' when he took a machine gun from a severely wounded officer and despite shrapnel wounds and a bullet lodged in his skull continued to hold his position alone for two hours against heavy German assault. When he was ordered to withdraw, Private Godley, then 25, maintained a covering fire until the entire battalion was evacuated, but was eventually overpowered by the enemy and taken as a prisoner of war. The Victoria Cross group of six was awarded to Private Godley, Royal Fusiliers, for his defence of the Nimy Bridge at Mons in the Great War and is expected to fetch £140,000 at auction later this month . His brave actions defending the Nimy Bridge at Mons on the August 23, 1914 during the first infantry attack of the war earned the Royal Fusiliers soldier the highest decoration in the British Army. When word got back to King George V about his astonishing bravery, he was recommended the award although army chiefs first thought it would be a posthumous award - until word got back to Britain that Pvt Godley had miraculously survived after being operated on at a German field hospital. London auctioneers Spink are putting the Victoria Cross group of six up for sale in their upcoming Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals and Militaria auction on July 19. It is estimated to fetch between . £140,000 - £180,000, but they suspect it will attract huge interest and . may exceed expectations. Oliver Pepys, medal . specialist at Spink, said: ‘The Godley Victoria Cross is . both hugely important and highly emotive. I would say it’s one of the . most significant of the great Victoria Crosses because it is the first . of the World War One, so it was not surprising that it attracted much interest' Private Sidney Godley was awarded the Victoria Cross in 1924 for his bravery at Mons . 'I am delighted the sale drew attention to . such a valiant man, who through his actions at Mons set a standard that . the British Tommy would aspire to for the rest of the War. 'He brought honour to his regiment and that legacy will live on, as a sign of what he endured for his country.' The Victoria Cross was snapped up by a private collector who placed the £276,000 bid before the auction began. The recommendation by Lieutenant FWA Steele, Royal Fusiliers, states: ‘In the defence of a railway bridge near Nimy, 23rd August 1914, Private Godley of ‘B’ Company showed particular heroism in his management of the machine guns. ‘His Commanding Officer having been severely wounded and each machine gunner in turn shot, Private Godley was called to the firing line on the bridge and under heavy fire he had to remove three dead bodies and proceed to an advanced machine gun position under a sustained enemy fire. ‘He carried on defending the position for two hours after he had received a severe head wound.’ The announcement of the award - given during the first infantry attack of the Great War - was published in the London Gazette on November 25, 1914. It read: ‘For coolness and gallantry in fighting his machine gun under a hot fire for two hours after he had been wounded at Mons on 23rd August.’ Mr Pepys said: ‘The courage was extraordinary. It would have been very easy for him to sit and obey orders and when the order came to withdraw, to withdraw. He definitely stood up to the plate.’ Sidney Godley was released at the end of the war and moved back to his home in East End of London. He worked at the Tower of London as a volunteer for the rest of his life as a leading member in the Old Contemptibles Association - a group created to ensure the ordeal of the conflict was never forgotten. He died in 1957. A drawing by an unknown artist depicting the battle of the Nimy Bridge at Mons on the 23rd August 1914 .
The honour bestowed upon Pvt Sidney Godley was the first Victoria Cross to be awarded to a private .
The medals were expected to fetch £140,000 but sold for almost double .
By . Sara Malm . PUBLISHED: . 11:12 EST, 19 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 03:36 EST, 20 July 2012 . The first Victoria Cross to have been awarded to a private in the First World War was today sold at auction for £276,000. Private Sidney Godley 'set the standard for the British Tommy' when he took a machine gun from a severely wounded officer and despite shrapnel wounds and a bullet lodged in his skull continued to hold his position alone for two hours against heavy German assault. When he was ordered to withdraw, Private Godley, then 25, maintained a covering fire until the entire battalion was evacuated, but was eventually overpowered by the enemy and taken as a prisoner of war. The Victoria Cross group of six was awarded to Private Godley, Royal Fusiliers, for his defence of the Nimy Bridge at Mons in the Great War and is expected to fetch £140,000 at auction later this month . His brave actions defending the Nimy Bridge at Mons on the August 23, 1914 during the first infantry attack of the war earned the Royal Fusiliers soldier the highest decoration in the British Army. When word got back to King George V about his astonishing bravery, he was recommended the award although army chiefs first thought it would be a posthumous award - until word got back to Britain that Pvt Godley had miraculously survived after being operated on at a German field hospital. London auctioneers Spink are putting the Victoria Cross group of six up for sale in their upcoming Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals and Militaria auction on July 19. It is estimated to fetch between . £140,000 - £180,000, but they suspect it will attract huge interest and . may exceed expectations. Oliver Pepys, medal . specialist at Spink, said: ‘The Godley Victoria Cross is . both hugely important and highly emotive. I would say it’s one of the . most significant of the great Victoria Crosses because it is the first . of the World War One, so it was not surprising that it attracted much interest' Private Sidney Godley was awarded the Victoria Cross in 1924 for his bravery at Mons . 'I am delighted the sale drew attention to . such a valiant man, who through his actions at Mons set a standard that . the British Tommy would aspire to for the rest of the War. 'He brought honour to his regiment and that legacy will live on, as a sign of what he endured for his country.' The Victoria Cross was snapped up by a private collector who placed the £276,000 bid before the auction began. The recommendation by Lieutenant FWA Steele, Royal Fusiliers, states: ‘In the defence of a railway bridge near Nimy, 23rd August 1914, Private Godley of ‘B’ Company showed particular heroism in his management of the machine guns. ‘His Commanding Officer having been severely wounded and each machine gunner in turn shot, Private Godley was called to the firing line on the bridge and under heavy fire he had to remove three dead bodies and proceed to an advanced machine gun position under a sustained enemy fire. ‘He carried on defending the position for two hours after he had received a severe head wound.’ The announcement of the award - given during the first infantry attack of the Great War - was published in the London Gazette on November 25, 1914. It read: ‘For coolness and gallantry in fighting his machine gun under a hot fire for two hours after he had been wounded at Mons on 23rd August.’ Mr Pepys said: ‘The courage was extraordinary. It would have been very easy for him to sit and obey orders and when the order came to withdraw, to withdraw. He definitely stood up to the plate.’ Sidney Godley was released at the end of the war and moved back to his home in East End of London. He worked at the Tower of London as a volunteer for the rest of his life as a leading member in the Old Contemptibles Association - a group created to ensure the ordeal of the conflict was never forgotten. He died in 1957. A drawing by an unknown artist depicting the battle of the Nimy Bridge at Mons on the 23rd August 1914 .
The first Victoria Cross to have been awarded to a private in the First World War was today sold Mons in the Great War and is expected to fetch Private Sidney Godley was awarded the Victoria