When Roy Belsham emerged from a London bomb shelter in August 1940, he had no idea he would go on to hold an unusual record 75 years later.

But after hitting all the right notes for more than seven decades, the former architect is set to become Witham’s longest-serving chorister, at St Nicholas’ Church in Chipping Hill.

Aged just nine, Roy was bombed out of his home in Hornchurch at the start of the Battle of Britain.

After staggering out of the shelter, his entire family flagged down a taxi to Witham.

Mr Belsham became a founding member of the Witham Twinning Association, a town councillor and he still serves on the parochial church council.

He even used his professional skills as an architect to redesign the church when the Kenneth Tickell organ was installed in 2002.

A special celebration service will be held at 6pm on September 13.

See this week's Witham Times for the full story.