A MILITARY Cross awarded to a First World War soldier is to be auctioned, as part of a collection of 135 military medals owned by a former England wicketkeeper, Jack Russell.

The medal was awarded to Major Graham Bromhead Bosanquet, of Llandinabo near Harewood End, who was killed fighting with the Gloucestershire Regiment in 1916 on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

Jack Russell, who hung up his cricketing gloves in 2004, said he had long been passionate about military history, which he described as being an addiction.

Major Bosanquet's Military Cross is expected to fetch between £5,000 and £7,000 when it goes under the hammer at Noonans Mayfair on April 15.

The auctioneers state that Major Bosanquet was the only fatality at Ovillers on July 1, 1916, and died about 300 yards from the Sunken Road.

Major Bosanquet, who was aged 30, led his men over the open ground towards Crucifix Trench. He was hit by fire from a machine gun and died instantly. He was awarded the Military Cross for his actions and is buried at Ovillers-la-Boisselle cemetery at the Somme.

Jack Russell explained that he began to collect medals about 30 years ago, particularly focusing on the Gloucestershire Regiment.

He said: "For me it has now come to a point where I feel it is time for a change in direction.

"I feel that I have got as close to the regiment and its fighting men as I possibly could, and it is now the time to hand them on to other collectors to take guardianship and look after these extraordinary men's medals for the next stage of their journey."

Mr Russell's collection, which focuses on the Gloucestershire Regiment, is expected to fetch about £100,000 as a whole.