Around 145 lots will be sold on November 30 from 10am, including the fuselage of a de Havilland that reportedly transported Prime Minister Anthony Eden and disgraced cabinet minister John Profumo in the 1950s.

Auctioneer Allen & Innocent in Cirencester has received fuselages, wings, tail fins, nose cones and propellor blades from full-sized de Havilland planes which had been stored in Cricklade.

The de Havilland Aircraft Company built aeroplanes between 1920 and 1963. Many of the lots concern the Dove short-haul propellor-driven airliner – which was developed in 1945 then manufactured 404 times over 20 years – and the Devon, its military counterpart of which 127 were made.

Most Doves were sold to commercial airlines for the transportation of between eight and 11 passengers. Today, only a handful of Doves or Devons are still flying.

If TV drama The Crown is to be believed, Prince Philip piloted a de Havilland Devon at least once.

Auctioneer Philip Allwood said: “de Havilland aircraft are an important part of our aviation heritage. We are hoping that museums, preservation groups or enthusiasts might restore them to their former glory – either as a static display or even taking to the skies again.”

Lot 4 The fuselage of de Havilland Devon VP955, operated by the 207 Squadron of the RAF and believed to have been used to transport government ministers…