1916 Rising medal fetches £12,000

Heavy fighting took place in central Dublin in 1916

A medal awarded to a rebel officer for his role in the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin is on its way back to Ireland.

The uprising medal was awarded to William Patrick Partridge - a captain in the Irish Citizen Army - for his part in the battle.

The medal was auctioned in Plymouth for £12,000 after being offered for sale by one of his descendents, who lives in South Gloucestershire.

The auction house said that it had been bought by a collector in Ireland.

His grandson Sid McAuley, 58, said the medal was a "significant" piece of Irish history.

"I am and will continue to be, very proud of my grandfather and everything he did. He was a straightforward man who fought for people's rights," he said.

William Patrick Partridge fought in Dublin during the rising

"He was very proud and very brave. He had more respect than most politicians."

He fought alongside Countess Markievicz and the Irish Volunteers at the College of Surgeons during the rising.

The 1916 Easter Rising saw Irish rebels attempt to seize the Irish capital from British forces.

British troops put down the rebellion and many of its ringleaders were captured and executed.

Mr Partridge was also captured and sentenced to 15 years for taking part in the rebellion and jailed in Dartmoor Prison.

He was released due to illness and died of Bright's Disease in 1917 aged just 43.