FOR thousands of Scots, it was an image that summed up the eternal fight against the Auld Enemy.
William Wallace's sword tumbles through the air before plunging into the ground in a defiant gesture to the waiting English army at Bannockburn.
The final shot from the Oscar-winning movie Braveheart captured the imagination of cinema audiences all over the world.
Now film buffs are being asked to help wage a new war against Aids in Africa - and are being given the chance to own a piece of cinema history in the process after Braveheart star Mel Gibson donated it for sale at a charity auction.
Along with Liam Neeson's light-sabre from the Star Wars prequel The Phantom Menace, and a host of other movie memorabilia, the sword is to be sold by Sotheby's in aid of Movie Action for Children, a charity which aims to raise more than #3.5m to help stop mothers passing on HIV to their babies.
Among the other star items on offer are Julia Roberts's wedding dress from Runaway Bride and Denzel Washington's gloves from the boxing movie, The Hurricane.
However, it is Mel Gibson's donation which is set to steal the show at the auction in New York on March 6.
More than 500,000 babies are born each year in Africa with HIV, but new drugs can cut the risk of transmission by up to a half.
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