The gallantry medal awarded to a heroic army soldier who was wrongly accused of war crimes during the battle of Danny Boy in the Iraq War has sold for £55,000.
Corporal Mark Byles received the Military Cross for taking an enemy trench during a life-or-death full frontal assault in which he killed several insurgents.
He later had to deny claims by the disgraced lawyer Phil Shiner that he and his colleagues tortured and murdered prisoners.
Their plight has recently been told in the new BBC drama ‘Danny Boy’, in which Shiner is played by Toby Jones.
In 2013, Corporal Byles gave evidence at the Al-Sweady Inquiry, named after a 19-year-old Iraqi killed in the battle, to clear his name, refuting allegations he had personally killed up to 20 insurgents.
The five-year public inquiry, which cost £25million, concluded that allegations of torture and murder were ‘wholly without foundation and entirely the product of deliberate lies, reckless speculation and ingrained hostility’.
The gallantry medal awarded to a heroic army soldier who was wrongly accused of war crimes during the battle of Danny Boy in the Iraq War has sold for £55,000. Corporal Mark Byles received the Military Cross for taking an enemy trench during a life-or-death full frontal assault in which he killed several insurgents
The action took place in Al Amara on May 14, 2004 during Operation Telic.
Corporal Byles, of 1st Battalion, Princess of Wales’ Royal Regiment, led his team into close quarters combat armed with grenades and bayonets.
They faced a barrage of machine-gun fire as they crossed open ground before diving into the heavily guarded 65ft trench.
Once inside, Corporal Byles ‘slashed and rifle butted’ numerous Mahdi Army insurgents, killing three of them and capturing four others.
They were then fired on from a second position and fierce fighting ensued in which 30 of the enemy were killed.
It was the first time the British had fought with bayonets since the Falklands War.
Corporal Byles later recounted: ‘It was either me or them. It felt like I was in a dream. It didn’t seem real. Anybody can pull a trigger from a distance, but I got up close and personal.
‘I got back to camp after six hours on the ground, covered in blood from head to toe.’
Corporall Byles was a comrade of Victoria Cross recipient Colour Sergeant Johnson Beharry and mentioned at length in his memoir ‘Barefoot Soldier’.
His medals were sold by a private collector with London-based auctioneers Dix Noonan Webb, fetching a hammer price which tripled the £18,000 estimate.
Corporal Byles medal group consists of the Military Cross (left); General Service 1962-2007; Iraq 2003-11 and the Accumulated Campaign Service Medal 1994
The buyer was a UK medals collector.
Christopher Mellor-Hill, Head of Client Liaison at Dix Noonan Webb, said: ‘We are delighted to see such an amazing price reflecting the bravery of one of the soldiers who was involved in the ‘Danny Boy’ incident in Iraq and now portrayed on TV in a new series.
‘This Military Cross is a testament to what these soldiers had to contend with under fire and its record price is a compliment to this soldier’s story..’
Cpl Byles, from Portsmouth, Hants, was deployed with an advance party of his unit to Iraq in April 2004.
His battalion’s seven month tour contained a number of high profile battles including ‘Danny Boy’ and the ‘Siege of CIMIC House’.
They faced the most action of any British Army unit since the Korean War, with almost 900 skirmishes in the Maysan Province.
His Military Cross recommendation, from his commanding officer Lieutenant Benjamin Plenge, states: ‘Approximately 10 metres from the position, the order, ‘Pairs assault’ was given by Corporal Byles.
Corporal Byles had to deny claims by the disgraced lawyer Phil Shiner (pictured) that he and his colleagues tortured and murdered prisoners
Their plight has recently been told in the new BBC drama ‘Danny Boy’, in which Shiner is played by Toby Jones (above)
‘At this point the section split with Lance-Corporal Wood assaulting one half and Corporal Byles the other.
‘Bayonets were fixed and grenades and automatic fire was used to clear the 20m long trench position.
‘… Throughout the whole contact Corporal Byles showed immense professionalism under pressure.
‘He showed bravery in the face of the enemy and strong leadership qualities in leading a dangerous assault against a larger enemy position.’
Corporal Byles was the subject of a failed assassination plot by British market stall holder Abu Mansha who was jailed for six years for it in 2006.
He left the army in 2008 while suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Corporal Byles medal group consists of the Military Cross; General Service 1962-2007; Iraq 2003-11 and the Accumulated Campaign Service Medal 1994.
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