Ronald, Arthur, Harry, Percy and Basil Maclear had come from different walks of life before heading to battle, one of them was an international rugby player and played for Ireland 11 times.
Lieutenant Arthur Maclear was the only brother who wasn't a professionally trained soldier, he survived the warBut in a devastating blow to the family, only two of the boys made it back to their homes in Bedfordshire.
Unbelievably, Arthur – the only sibling who wasn't a professional solider – was one of the lucky ones who made it back, alongside Ronald who was awarded an O.B.E for his dedication throughout the battle.
Harry, the oldest of the brothers, was born in 1872 and joined the East Lancashire Regiment at the age on 19 in 1891.
By the time WW1 broke out he was already an esteemed army officer who had reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
At the age of 44 he was killed in France while he was the commanding officer of the 13th Royal Scots Regiment.
Among his vast array of accolades is an Africa General Service medal, a Punjab Frontier medal and a British War and Victory medal.
Another of the brothers, Percy, was killed in August 1914 while leading his men in an attack on a German emplacement in Cameroon.
The 39-year-old Lieutenant Colonel was last seen staggering away into the jungle but his remains were never recovered.
Youngest brother Basil was a legendary international rugby union player for Ireland before the war.
The captain, who served in the Royal Dublin Fusiliers, was declared missing in action during a bombing party in Ypres in May 1915.
The Maclear brother's medals
- Harry – Distinguished Service Order, G.V.R.; India General Service 1895-1902, Relief of Chitral 1895, Punjab Frontier 1897-98, Africa General Service 1902-56, 1914 Star, British War and Victory Medal with M.I.D. Oakleaf, Memorial Plaque.
- Ronald – The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, O.B.E., 1st type, Military Division, Military Cross, Queen's South Africa 1899-1902,, Cape Colony, Transvaal, 1914-15 Star, British War and Victory Medal with M.I.D. Oakleaf.
- Percy – Queen's South Africa 1899-1902, Tugela Heights, Orange Free State, Relief of Ladysmith, Transvaal, Laing's Nek, King's South Africa, 1914-15 Star, British War and Victory Medal, Memorial Plaque, Memorial Scroll, Royal Humane Society Medal, bronze issue.
- Basil – Queen's South Africa 1899-1902, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, 1914-15 Star, British War and Victory Medal with M.I.D. Oakleaf, Memorial Plaque, Memorial Scroll.
- Arthur – 1914-15 Star, British War and Victory Medal, Ashantee 1873-74.
Although his body was never found, he is commemorated on the Menin Gate in Ypres.
The loss was particularly felt in Ireland, where Basil, 34, had set up a home for himself.
He represented Ireland 11 times between 1905 and 1907.
Such was his talent he is now a member of the World Rugby Hall of Fame and the auctioneers say his notoriety only adds to the medals' appeal.
Of all the brothers, it is Ronald, also a Lieutenant Colonel, who boasts perhaps the most most impressive collection of medals, with an OBE and a MC among his accolades.
Born in 1877, he first saw military action during the Boer War before serving at both the Somme and Ypres during the Great War.
He survived the war and died at the age of 54 in 1932.
Together, the boys were awarded 25 medals in total, which were scattered throughout the family but after 100 years they have been lovingly collected by one relative.
An OBE and Military Cross were among the precious pieces that belonged to the siblings and which will now be sold with auctioneers Bonhams and have been estimated to sell for £100,000.
The Lieutenant in the Army Service Corps won the least medals of the five, collecting a 1914-1915 Star and a British War and Victory Medal.
The brothers were the grandsons on Sir Thomas Maclear, a well-respected astronomer, who has a crater on the moon named after him.
The sale takes place tomorrow.
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