IT was the sound of 1,000 voices singing God Save the King in unison which first interested David Judge in the Royal Family.

In that moment, the young David became fascinated with the sense of pride our nation and those around the world have for the monarchy.

Now 77, he recalls the moment, on VE Day in May 1945, when his grandmother’s danceband played at the Blue Lagoon ballroom on Clacton Pier.

He said: “My father, Arthur Judge, served in the Royal Air Force in Burma for five years, during which time, my mother Aileen Judge and I spent a lot of time at my grandparents’ place in Mistley and often attended the dances.

“My mother and I attended the VE Day Ball and, at the end of the evening, the band played Rule Britannia and God Save the King, which all the people sang heartily.

“Afterwards, I asked why grandmother played these tunes and why all the people sang. My mother explained about the King and the Royal Family.

“That particular night was probably the heartiest and most emotional singing I, as a kid, had ever heard.”

Fast-forward to 1949, when Mr Judge joined the 17th Colchester Sea Scout Group. Four years later he was troop leader.

He would go on to serve in the Royal Navy, having been influences to sign up by his uncle, Maurice Ransom,aNavy engineer lieutenant.

In 21 months, between 1956 and 1958, he travelled 47,000 miles and visited 16 countries.

A past president of Colchester Forum Rotary Club (which he helped establish in 1974), Mr Judge was Rotary district governor for Essex in 1999. As such, he was invited to a garden party at Buckingham Palace.

During that year, he also met Princess Anne to talk to her about Rotary’s overseas projects.

Even now, with an MBE to his name for community work – presented by fellowNavy man Prince Charles – he’s still involved with the Sea Scouts, as group president.

Down the years, Mr Judge, of Cottage Drive, Colchester, says his encounters with royalty have served to bolster his admiration for the Queen.

He said: “The Queen has devoted her entire life to the role she came into.

“She didn’t choose it. She came into it early, because her father died. I think she has been a fantastic example of dedication and service to the country and also a great ambassador.”

Mr Judge thinks the monarch’s enduring popularity is very much down to her work ethic.

He explained: “I have been told she was very nervous about public speaking before she became queen, but she has worked so hard.

“I think Prince Philip has put a tremendous amount of effort into helping her.

“He has given her tremendous support and she has developed a personality.

“She had a hard act to follow.

During the war, the Queen Mother was Queen and they remained in Buckingham Palace, even when it was bombed.”

Mr Judge was among about 50 people at his father’s workplace who gathered around a small television set to watch the coronation.

Along with other Sea Scouts, he had camped out for two nights on Colchester’s Middlewick ranges ahead of the event to keep watch on a beacon which was due to be lit, to mark the coronation.

A series of beacons was due to be lit across the night of the coronation but it was feared pranksters might light them before the appropriate time.

Mr Judge said: “It was pouring with rain. We were worried it wasn’t going to light, because it was so wet but it did. The Sea Scouts lit the bonfire from which a dignitary lit the beacon.”

Hover, his his future wife, Christine, was far closer to the big event in Westminster Abbey.

She recalled: “I was 15 and a friend who worked for Barclay’s Bank in London won tickets to be watch the coronation procession.

“We were on a rooftop, looking through over the Mall. We saw the procession three times. Inside they had a bank of TVs for the first time ever and a terrific buffet, so we were thoroughly spoilt.”

Later, the pair joined crowds outside the palace gates and saw the Royals, including the new queen, come out on to the balcony.

She said: “The atmosphere was fantastic.”

A quarter of a century later, Mr Judge played a key role in the Queen’s Silver Jubilee celebrations in Colchester.

He was chairman of the Colchester and District Jubilee Co-ordinating Committee, working with stationer Steve Miller, Malcolm Baker, from the Co-op, and Gerry Martin, from the chamber of commerce.

Events began on May 23 in East Mersea and continued through May and into June in Colchester and the surrounding villages.

During it all, Mr Judge was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records for creating Britain’s biggest-ever painting.

The montage was divided into 5,000 pieces and Mr Judge was sponsored £1 for each bit he painted.

A Silver Jubilee parade processed from Colchester Garrison’s Cavalry Barracks to the High Street, and a fair was held at Lower Castle Park. Each village also held its own carnival.

The couple are clearly delighted to see the queen celebrate her 63- year reign and firmly believe she will remain on the throne for the rest of her life.

Mr Judge said: “We will certainly be opening a bottle of wine, toasting the Queen and watching whatever there is to watch.”