Clearance of a council property in Grantham left South Kesteven District Council housing tenancy staff in a quandary – what to do with thousands of military-themed magazines.

When the tenant of a council bungalow in Great Gonerby died SKDC moved in to remove his effects, some of which have gone to help the homeless, and to help tidy up his estate for relatives.

But, rather than scrap the piles of air and ground combat magazines and manuals dating from the 1980s to the present day, they were put into storage.

Now, with approval from the tenant's estate, an appeal is being made to find a charity, group of enthusiasts or an individual who will appreciate the treasure trove of military magazine memorabilia.

Titles include Air Forces Monthly, Flypast, In Combat, Air Show and World Air Power Journals, while carefully collated files of publications and manuals represent a rare record of aviation and military development.

Cllr Robert Reid, SKDC Cabinet Member for Housing, said: "Our tenant was clearly fascinated with air and ground combat and this collection is an amazing record of warfare development going back almost 40 years.

"The magazines would have cost many thousands of pounds over the years and he took great care to keep them in pristine condition. What we need to do now is to find an organisation or a charity which will appreciate them as much."

Anyone interested in the collection should email [email protected]