Guernsey Press

Hero soldier’s medal collection could sell for £120,000

Deacon Cutterham was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for saving the lives of his men when he picked up and hurled away a Taliban grenade.

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A soldier who was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for saving the lives of his men when he picked up and hurled away a Taliban grenade is selling his medal collection.

Deacon Cutterham had just five seconds to plunge his arm into murky ditchwater, retrieve the high-explosive device and throw it to safety during a tour of Afghanistan in 2011.

Mr Cutterham, who was a Serjeant with the 1st Battalion the Rifles, is now selling the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross – one level down from the Victoria Cross – along with other medals he was awarded.

Mr Cutterham is presented with the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross by Prince Charles during an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace in 2012 (Lewis Whyld/PA).
Mr Cutterham was presented with the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross by Prince Charles during an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace in 2012 (Lewis Whyld/PA)

The collection of seven medals is expected to fetch up to £120,000 when it is sold by Dix Noonan Webb on November 12.

Mr Cutterham, now aged 37 and from Bristol, joined the Army at 16 and served in both Iraq and Afghanistan during a 19-year military career.

The incident happened as Mr Cutterham and his patrol were wading through an irrigation ditch knee-deep in water when the grenade came flying over a high wall.

“I heard a familiar ‘ping’ noise and knew exactly what it was, I looked up and in slow motion I could see a hand grenade which had been thrown from the other side of the wall and landed roughly a metre in front of me,” he said.

“I liken the sensation to a wasp flying down your top and you can’t move quick enough to get that T-shirt off – only if the grenade explodes, it’s not just a sting, it’s the life of me and my team.”

Having run towards the grenade, picked it up and thrown it away all in a matter of seconds, Mr Cutterham then proceeded to extract his men from the area without sustaining casualties.

Mr Cutterham's collection of medals, including the  Conspicuous Gallantry Cross, could sell for up to £120,000 at auction (Credit Dix Noonan Webb/PA)
Mr Cutterham’s collection of medals, including the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross, could sell for up to £120,000 at auction (Dix Noonan Webb/PA)

The following year he was presented with the medal at Buckingham Palace by the Prince of Wales.

He said: “I will never forget it, truly to this day the proudest moment of my life.

“The 19 years I served in the Army were the best of my life. I lived 100 lifetimes in the British Army, it felt more like one big adventure than a job. It’s a fantastic organisation and I have a lot to be thankful to it for.”

Explaining why he is selling his medals, Mr Cutterham said: “My medals were hard-earned and I will be investing the proceeds carefully to help ensure my future financial security.”

Among the medals being sold are a General Service Medal, the Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan and the Jubilee Medal (Credit Dix Noonan Webb/PA)
Among the medals being sold are a General Service Medal, the Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan and the Jubilee Medal (Dix Noonan Webb/PA)

“The award of the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross reflects that, and it is a privilege to be handling the sale of his medals upon his behalf.”

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