War hero's sister sells medals to go on cruise

London: The sister of a war hero who died in Afghanistan sold his uniform and medals to an eBay trader to fund a luxury cruise for herself.

Corporal Rob Deering left his elder sister everything in his will, including four war medals, his uniform and an engraved memorial shell casing from his funeral.

But Elaine Deering, a single mother of one, sold it all for £1,100 (Dh6,270) and put the money towards a trip round the Mediterranean.

The 37-year-old, who is unemployed, said: "I'm on income support and I'm very hard up, so I did what I thought was best."

Now the man who bought the mementos, which include medals from Corporal Deering's service in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as an International Security Assistance Force medal has returned them to the hero's fiancée Gemma Polino.

Explosion

Corporal Deering, a Royal Marine with the Commando Logistic Regiment, died in December 2008 as he raced to help injured comrades whose armoured Viking personnel carrier had been blown up by insurgents.

The 33-year-old was killed in a second explosion as he approached the vehicle in Afghanistan's notorious Helmand province.

He left everything to his sister, who also claims she was forced to sell the mementos to help look after her 14-month-old son.

Deering, of Sheldon, Birmingham, said her brother would have wanted her to sell the medals to support herself and her son, who she named after him.

"When you're on your own, have a child and are offered £1,100, it's a tough thing to turn down. I used some of the money to go on a cruise because I was depressed about everything that had happened. I needed a break," she said.

Deering visited ports in France, Spain and Italy during her two-week Mediterranean cruise in May this year.

She added: "I regret the fact that I lost the medals and I would love to get them back one day. I loved my brother and miss him every day, but I wanted to give my son the best."

The buyer, John Langley, 67, researched Corporal Deering and, when he learned the circumstances of his death, "felt sick". He tracked down the soldier's fiancée and gave her the mementos for free.