Story of family sacrifice 'that breaks the heart'

A father raised his 9 kids alone after his wife died & then lost his 4 sons in WWI. Now, tragic family's medals have sold for £3k

- BY JAMES PODESTA

Some of the medals awarded to Harry, Arthur, Bertie and George Cooper

THE medals of four brothers who were killed in the First World War within 10 months of each other have been sold for £3,000 at auction.

They were expected to fetch £700 but the heartbreaking story of sacrifice by the men and their father increased their value.

Gardener Joseph Cooper raised his nine children alone after his wife's death in 1898. During the Great War, his four boys - Harry, Arthur, Bertie and George - were sent to the Western Front.

Pte Harry Cooper, 26, of the 1/9th Battalion, London Regiment, survived the first day of the Somme, unlike nearly 20,000 comrades, but was killed in action three months later near Flers.

He is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, near Albert.