I will not let Ivan in bayonet range of our wounded

VC hero's defiant battle cry

- JAMES PODESTA

A VICTORIA Cross won by a hero sailor who took part in a heroic five-man rearguard to protect wounded comrades from charging Russians is for sale for £260,000.

Seaman James Gorman's prestigious VC - the highest decoration in the British honours system was one of the earliest awarded.

Queen Victoria introduced it in 1856 to honour men in the Crimean War.

Mr Gorman earned his for his exploits at the Battle of Inkermann on the Crimean peninsula in 1854.

The lightly-defended British lines had been left exposed to a sudden massive attack by the Russians in the darkness.

But Mr Gorman ran to the injured soldiers, took their weapons and used them to repel the enemy.