A MINIATURE version of Barrow's first submarine for the Royal Navy featured in a Bristol auction.

The museum quality scratch built model of Holland I was made by British Empire Medal holder James Brain.

His model was sold for £120 (LOT 274) in the sale by East Bristol Auctions.

The submarine was launched in 1901 after being constructed in secrecy in a building called “The Yacht Shed”.

It was lost at sea in 1913 while being towed to the scrapyard but was recovered in 1982 and put on display at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum in Gosport

Another of Mr Brain’s models - showing the Second World War midget submarine HMS X-7 - sold for £90.

The full-size version of this Barrow-built vessel took part in the September 1943 attack on the German warship Tirpitz

X-Craft, several of which were made in Barrow, were used for specialised attacks in difficult waters and were armed with a pair of crescent-shaped explosive charges and limpet mines.

They weighed 30 tons, were 53ft long and had a crew of five.

Mr Brain was a Bristol model shipbuilder who served in Merchant Navy as cook and later as a chief steward from 1935. He retired in 1981.

During the Second World War he served on both the Atlantic and Malta Convoys.

When he had spare time on these long sea voyages, he would make his highly detailed model ships and submarines.

He was awarded the British Empire Medal in 1943 on a Malta Convoys serving aboard King Edwin.

While docked in Valetta on April 26 in 1943, the ship was bombed and caught fire.

He helped to tackle the blaze over two day.

His models were seen by both Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh and won many award at model engineering exhibitions.