Medals and a first-hand written account of events that belonged to a World War Two Navy veteran from Oldham have sold for £12,000.

Jack 'Spud' Yates, who was born in Oldham on September 13, 1918, received four impressive medals during his service in the Royal Navy, including an extremely rare Conspicuous Gallantry Medal.

Researchers unearthed Jack's incredible battles and bravery at sea from his written accounts and recognitions he received through despatches.

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This included rescuing men at sea, finding "drifting" lost ships against the odds and enduring battles against much larger, powerful enemy German and Japanese warships.

The rarest medal he received, the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal, made him just one of 72 people in the Second World War to receive the recognition which he received after the battle in the Malacca Straits,  almost 80 years ago in 1945.

During the battle, H.M.S Saumarez faced off against Japan's Haguro, one of the largest, most heavily armed cruisers ever built, in a lightning storm.

Jack and three others, Stoker Marten, Stoker 'Ginger' Elliot and Stoker 'Jock' Hendren, were tasked with dealing the hot, cramped and noisy boiler room when the room was hit by a shell from the Japanese battleship.

The Oldham Times: The medals sold for £12,000 on Valentine's DayThe medals sold for £12,000 on Valentine's Day (Image: Noonans)

Steam began to fill the compartment, causing temperatures to rise to roughly 500 degrees Fahrenheit/260 Celsius, and Jack sprung into action to keep the steam away and try to save his team.

He said he imagined 'Ginger' Elliot, who was on the diesel dynamo, "died instantly" while he saw Jock on his knees with the steam "already beginning to choke him".

Naval procedure called for Jack to evacuate the boiler room and get the others out, but he said Marten had already left and it would have been "impossible" to carry the two fallen men out of the boiler room.

As a result, he stayed in the boiler room and later recalled: "In a panic, crisis, call it what you will, things don’t actually turn out as laid down by the book."

Fearful of a fire, he turned the oil fuel pressure pump off and despite suffering extensive burns and scalding, Jack's quick actions meant the ship's pressurised steam was brought under control and its electrics recovered.

The battle raged on until Haguro was overwhelmed and sank 45 miles southwest of Penang.

While Jack and Marten were hospitalised with severe burns, Marten died from his injuries days later and meant Jack was the sole survivor of No 1 boiler room.

After the war, Jack returned home to Oldham where he became a blast furnace man and then a steel operator before he died in autumn in his hometown in 1992.

Earlier this week, Petty Officer Jack Yates' medals went to auction and fetched a hammer price of £12,000 though were estimated to cost up to £16,000.

Noonans, which presented the medals to the auction, confirmed the accolades were bought by a "collector of notable British gallantry awards to British servicemen".

Got a story? Email me Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk