Restoration of a Salisbury Hall-designed and built Prototype Mosquito DH98 W4050 moved a step closer on Saturday when the fuselage and wings of the dismantled aircraft were put back together.

It is one of three examples of the "wooden wonder" built by de Havilland Aircraft Ltd which are on display at the de Havilland Aircraft Museum in the grounds of the hall at London Colney - the oldest aviation Museum in the UK and the only Museum in the world to display three variants of the iconic Mosquito.

The DH 98 prototype made its maiden flight at the de Havilland factory airfield at Hatfield on November 25, 1940.

Restoration work on the Mosquito Prototype - the only twin engine WW2 era prototype to survive - started in 2010 and visitors have seen its restoration in progress alongside the Mosquito B35 bomber and Mosquito VI fighter-bomber versions of the historic Second World War aircraft.

Mosquito team leader Bob Glasby, a former Battle of Britain Memorial Flight engineer and a long serving volunteer at the de Havilland Aircraft Museum, said: "The reassembly was a major achievement and the objective is to have the Prototype fully reassembled in time for the 75th anniversary of the maiden flight."

Bob’s day to day job is now an electronics engineer, living near St Neots.

The refitting saw the fuselage lowered from a lifting beam on to the wings supported on trestles until the four securing bolts could be fitted, a process which took three hours.

"We now have to fit the bomb bay doors, under-wing panels and undercarriage then it will rest on its own wheels once again.

"Then we will refit the tail, the two Rolls-Royce Merlin engines and propellers and then the cockpit controls, instruments and other internal work," he added.

When the museum re-opens to the public on March 1 after its winter closure, visitors will be able to see the work continuing.

The de Havilland Aircraft Museum was founded in the 1950s with just one aircraft, the 1940-built Prototype Mosquito.

It now has more than 20 of the de Havilland company’s civil and military aircraft and is dedicated to preserving the de Havilland heritage.

The museum, a privately owned registered charity, is run by unpaid volunteers, among them many former employees of both de Havilland and another aircraft company, Handley Page at Radlett.

Details can be found on its website www.dehavillandmuseum.co.uk