For decades The Royal Star & Garter Homes stood majestically on the brow of the hill overlooking the River Thames in Richmond, providing a safe haven to heroic service personnel who had sacrificed themselves in the service of their country.

The Home in Richmond opened its doors in 1924 and cared for residents until 2013, when they moved into a brand new, purpose-built, state-of-the-art Home at Surbiton in Surrey.

Now a hand-picked selection of pictures, trophies and other mementos from the contents were sold at Ewbank’s Auctions in Surrey on September 13, providing a unique opportunity for the public to catch a glimpse of life in the home and acquire a reminder of its singular inhabitants.

“Some of the pieces we will be offering have a uniquely personal connection with those who lived and worked at the home, or with those lost in battle. The catalogue for this sale is like a time capsule, giving people a unique opportunity to own a little piece of history,” said auctioneer Chris Ewbank.

One portrait marks the life of a young subaltern tragically cut down at Ypres in April 1915, aged just 21. Lieutenant Eric Elsdale Molson, related to the Canadian beer brewing family, is pictured as a fresh-faced youth in cricket whites in the portrait by Gerald Fenwick Metcalfe.

It was the second portrait of him by the artist, who had captured Eric and his brother as boys at the turn of the century in an oil painting exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1902. As a boy, Eric lived in Rainsford House, Chelmsford, later to become the site of the war memorial that bore his name.

The portrait has an estimate of £600-1000 but was sold at a staggering £3,800.

Mr Ewbank said: “Although individually, some of the trophies on offer here may be of modest monetary value, together they create an impressive picture of the activities the resident accomplished despite their injuries and disabilities.”