So close, yet so far could accurately describe the memory of the moon landing for one Wanborough resident.

John Henshall was working as a cameraman at the BBC during the mission 50 years ago and was almost part of the crew which delivered Neil Armstrong’s famous quotes.

But it wasn’t to be as John was pushed back to work later in the schedule and missed the unforgettable moment.

Despite this disappointment, John, who is now president of the guild of television camera professionals, was able to be part of history as he covered the astronauts’ ascent from the moon.

Reminiscing about the landing, John said: “We all felt it was bound to go wrong.

“We couldn’t believe it had worked; we had walked on the moon.

“When it had taken off, we were in the TV station and there was lots of silences.

“(President) Kennedy lost contact and watching it we thought ‘oh no, it’s exploded’. We thought that a lot of times.

“There was no music, you didn’t need an orchestra to create drama, just the silence to build the tension.

“When the guild was first created we asked Neil (Armstrong) if he would be president, as he was the first person to ever operate a camera extra-terrestrially, but he politely declined.

“Years later I visited Cape Canaveral to film flight simulators and they were kind enough to give me a replica badge that would have been worn by the astronauts.

“I’m pleased I was part of it, even if it was a small part.”