THE signed memoirs of Desert Rat war hero Field Marshall Montgomery are top of the pile in a history auction taking place today.

Monty's account of one of the Second World Wars most famous tank battles is among thousands of treasures being sold off by Newcastle University.

Academics are having to get rid of about 3,000 books dating back three centuries, to make space in the university's history department.

The book, El Alamein to the River Sangro, is an account of the Allied attack on Rommel's German forces in Egypt in 1942, which turned the tide of the war in Africa.

The book, published in 1946, was presented by Monty to then Foreign Secretary William Strang. It was passed on to his son, Colin, who was a lecturer at Newcastle University, and he gave it to the history department.

Auctioneer Jim Railton, who is organising the sale at Brancepeth Castle, near Durham City, said: "I have never seen such an extensive library come on to the market.

The auction is expected to raise thousands of pounds towards a fund for students who need help financing their courses.