MEDALS awarded to a brave Newport SAS serviceman were sold for £120,000 at auction yesterday.

Captain Melvill Keith "Taff" Townsend, who served in the SAS, received the Distinguished Conduct Medal - given for acts of gallery - for his actions in the Middle East in 1975.

He was recognised for his courage during an ambush in Western Dhofar when he saved the lives of many fellow soldiers.

His brigade commander at the time spoke of his "fearless heroism" while the divisional commander said he had shown "courage in the very highest traditions of the service".

As well as the DCM, the only one awarded during the action in Sheerishitti, the retired soldier sold his medals for service in Northern Ireland, Cyprus and the Falklands.

The medals went for more than double their estimate of £40,000 to £60,000.

Also included in the lot were eight copies of congratulation letters sent to Captain Townsend from top military men and a letter of thanks from Princess Diana after he led and conducted the security operation during a visit she made to Angola.

Born in Newport in 1944 and educated at The Mount School in Chepstow, he joined the Royal Signals as a junior leader when he was 15.

After serving in the 24 Signal Regiment and receiving parachute training he was posted to the Special Air Service regiment.

Mr Townsend was the leader of a four-man SAS liaison patrol attached to a company of the Sultan of Oman’s Armed Forces taking part in an operation in Dhofar on January 6, 1975, when his actions led to him being awarded the DCM.

Details of the action for which the then Corporal Townsend received his DCM talk of how he not only fought back against an enemy ambush on another company, in which a senior officer was killed, despite putting himself in the line of fire but also persuaded other men to return fire.

At one stage he returned to the front to try and get the soldiers to fire their rifles.

In order to encourage them he openly stood on a rock firing at the enemy with bullets cracking around him until ordered to take cover by a senior SAS NCO.

The citation said the conduct and courage and this junior non-commissioned officer through a fierce engagement was magnificent.

"He undoubtedly saved the lives of many soldiers in the leading company, besides those of the company to which he was attached. It was in inspiring example of the highest gallantry and military ability."