A CABINET door which is believed to have been from Hitler's bunker has sold in an auction in Dorchester.

The solid Oak door, with a double headed Reichsadler and a carved date of 1648, was auctioned and sold for a total of £550.

The door was said to have been brought back by Dr Reginald Christopher Howard Tripp, who was a Wing Commander serving with the RAF at the end of the Second World War and was investigating possible war crimes.

Dr Tripp was born on January 16 1910 in Penfold, Somerset, and served in the RAF as a doctor and flight surgeon during the Second World War.

As part of a team of doctors and research scientists, Dr Tripp was tasked with collecting evidence from Concentration Camps and institutions that had carried out experiments on Jewish people and the other groups persecuted under the Nazi regime, such as Roma Gypsies and Russian POW's.

The door was sold at Duke's Auctioneer's in Dorchester to a private collector.

Dr Tripp's son provided the following testimony on the provenance of the door.

He said: "He was in Berlin shortly after Adolf Hitler committed suicide on 30th April 1945. My Father and his team were asked to inspect Hitler's underground Bunker to gather any potential evidence. The Russians had already looted the building, and in Hitler's quarters, they had broken into a drinks cupboard. One of the doors was lying on the floor, and my Father kept it as a memento. It has remained with my family to this day."

Auctioneer Julian Smith said that he thought it was a great piece with an interesting story behind it and even though it was quite "unusual".