MEDALS belonging to Merseyside soldiers who fought in World War 1 are being sold on internet auction sites for as little as £6, the Daily Post can reveal.

Ninety years after thousands of men offered up their lives for King and country, dealers in the medals claim the sheer number available means they only command higher fees if proof can be provided that the solider who earned them did not survive the war.

Paradoxically, the Daily Post has been offered medals awarded to soldiers returning from duty in Operation Telic in Iraq for up to £300, with dealers saying soldiers just don’t want them.

Last night, veterans criticised the sale of WW1 medals, saying that if families of servicemen don’t want them, they should be handed over to their respective regimental museums.

A Daily Post investigation into the sale of war medals has revealed that dozens are changing hands every month on the internet, some for as little as £6.

By contrast, a medal awarded to a pigeon, for bravery in World War II, fetched around £9,000 when sold last year.

Internet dealers also flag up if the medals – normally the standard British War medal, issued to soldiers at the end of the WWI – were given to soldiers who did not survive the war.

One dealer told the Daily Post: “There are so many of them, they really aren’t worth that much. People tend to buy them for history projects to research them, and then sell them on again.

“Ones for soldiers who died are worth more, and it makes sense that such details are flagged up.”

Medal sales monitored by the Daily Post include the sale – for £28 – of a medal awarded to Private John William Scott, who served with 7th Battalion, Liverpool Regiment. Born in Kensington in Liverpool, he enlisted for the army at Bootle, while living in Walton.

At the time of his death, July 24, 1917, his battalion was serving in Flanders.

Another, for a Pte John Downey, of the Liverpool Regiment, who is believed to have died in Englefontaine on October 24 1918, just days before the end of the war, sold for £38. He had been born in Garston.

The victory medal of Private H Hurrell, listed as being in the Liverpool Regiment, is currently being offered on Ebay for £8.50.

Two medals given to Pte J Matthews, of the Liverpool Regiment, are being sold for £12 at present.

Another, currently being sold, belonged to Pte MC Gregor of the Liverpool Regiment. In an attempt to push up the price, the seller claims: “In August next year, it will be only 6 years to the 100-year anniversary of the outbreak of the Great War. World War One memorabilia of this quality has got to be a good investment, just think of the publicity that will be generated up to and during 2014-19.”

The Liverpool Regiment later went on to become the King’s Regiment, which in turn became the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment in 2005.

Eric Roper, secretary of the King’s Regiment Association Liverpool, said: “It is appalling to think that the memory of what these men did for our country is being traded for so little.

“You could understand families perhaps having to sell them if times were hard, but with such small amounts of money, that can’t be the case.

“Highlighting the fact the medal was awarded to a solider after he had died is awful, and a totally inappropriate way to remember the ultimate sacrifice these men made.

“The best thing families can do is keep the medals, and make sure they are passed down through the generations. That way, the memory of what happened can be kept alive. These were ordinary men who went to war for their country. Selling them for such small amounts is totally inappropriate.

“If people don’t want to keep the medals, then the regimental museum would happily take them. It is important we help keep the memories alive.”

Nobody was available to comment from Ebay.

The most commonly-sold medal on Ebay is the Victory medal. It was instituted by King George V in 1919 to mark the end of the war and record the service given.

Although the war ended in 1918, the qualification period was extended to cover post-war mine clearance and service in Russia during 1919-20.

A total of approximately 6.5m silver medals were issued, while around 110,000 bronze versions of the medal were issued to Chinese, Maltese, Indian and other native Labour Corps and also to other native personnel who were mobilised for war service and received pay at military rates.

Modern-day soliders make £300 selling their medal on the internet > > >