Auctioneers say the medals awarded to a glamorous World War II heroine have fetched a record price.
Dix Noonan Web said today the sale price for the collection of medals awarded to Violette Szabo was 312,000 pounds (USD 446,691) including commission -- far above the previous record of 93,000 pounds for a George Cross, a decoration awarded to civilians and military members for courage.
Szabo, an Anglo-French undercover agent, was tortured and killed by the Nazis after being captured after the D-Day landings. The medals will be put on display at the Imperial War Museum.
Szabo's 73-year-old daughter Tania, who decided to sell the medals after a fire, had wanted to make sure the medals would be seen and that her mother's memory recalled for generations to come.
