PRIVATE Thomas Cook was probably one of first 1914 volunteers for Herefordshire Regiment - and one of the first to die during its fighting at Gallipoli.

The medals won by Pte Cook are up for sale at an auction house a long way from his Kington home next month.

Pte Cook died at Gallipoli on August 10, 1915, the regiment having landed there the day before. He is buried at Gallipoli's 7th Field Ambulance cemetery.

Andy Taylor, assistant curator at the Herefordshire Regiment museum, said Private Cook's service number suggested he was one of regiment's first volunteers on the outbreak of war - or possibly serving when it did.

Lockdales auction house, of Martlesham, near Ipswich, acquired Pte Cook's medals and death plaque through a roadshow.

They go under the hammer on May 17 with a guide price between £140-£160, though keen collectors could push the sale price up further.