Marbles that led to Dambusters raid fetch £15,000

Sir Barnes Wallis used a catapult to fire his daughter Mary's marbles along a bath of water in his garden to work out the trajectory needed to skim his invention over nets and blow up Nazi dams, in 1943.

The Second World War raid by Lancaster bomber crews was immortalised in 1955 hit film The Dam Busters. Bristol auction Auctioneum said the small glass toys had a "gigantic" importance.

There were more than 20 bidders from five countries.

The hammer price was £15,200 - £18,300 with fees.