A Fife Normandy veteran’s possessions have sold for 30 times their original guide price after attracting international interest.
Items belonging to Royal Marine Jock Mathieson, of Cardenden, went for more than £9,000, far in excess of the anticipated £300 to £500.
The lot included a 1942 Airborne Troop smock, medals and two green berets worn by Mr Mathieson, who served across Europe and in Africa during the Second World War.
They were sold by his nephew through marriage, who is fascinated by military history.
Local and international interest
According to Perth auctioneers Lindsay Burns & Co Auction House, the collection attracted significant interest from more than 50 people before going under the hammer.
It was among 700 lots going under the hammer earlier this week and bids came in from across the UK and the Netherlands.
The eventual buyer was a UK-based phone bidder.
But auctioneer and valuer Nick Burns believes the Dutch interest may have been because it included a map of Rotterdam.
Mr Burns said: “There were more than 50 people interested in it so it was extremely popular.
“There were multiple phone bids and bids online.
“I think it was popular also because he was a Normandy veteran and there is the family connection.
“With all of the items included in the lot, it is almost like a little time capsule.”
He added: “We are delighted for the seller.”
Jock Mathieson
Jock Mathieson was a despatch rider during the war.
When not on the front lines in Normandy, he also painted a lot of the signs diverting traffic in the area.
The No. 48 (Royal Marine) Commando was formed on 1944 during the war and was a battalion-sized formation of the British Commandos.
It served in North West Europe and took part in the Normandy landings and operations around Ostend and Antwerp in the Flanders region of Belgium and was disbanded after the war in January 1946.
On his return from the conflict, he did not often draw upon his more distressing experiences, instead speaking of the positive tales he had encountered.
Jock died in the 1990s when he was in his 80s.