Wally Hilling thought he would never again see the man who saved his life in a Japanese prisoner of war camp in 1940.

He was "absolutely choked" when he came face-to-face with his guardian angel, Jimmy Townsend, during a visit to the Royal Hospital in Chelsea.

Wally, 90, of Westborough Road, Westcliff, was visiting the Royal Hospital in preparation for his move there this week to become a Chelsea pensioner.

Wally last saw Jimmy in the Changi camp's sick bay in Singapore, the day before he was sent to hospital.

Wally thought he must have died long since.

But now the pair will be living together as Chelsea pensioners, they will have plenty of time to catch up on all they have been up to in the 66 years since they last met.

Wally said: "When I went to Chelsea Pensioners, just over a week ago, they took me round and introduced me to this ex-Japanese prisoner.

"He told me which battalion he had been in, and I said I'll tell you something, I remember a chap from that one, Jimmy Townsend, he was smashing, a great football player.

"He looked at me, after 66 years, and said I'm Jimmy Townsend'. I couldn't believe it. I was choked. I said, Oh, mate!' "I wouldn't have known him because he's an old man - he's 92. I knew him as a strapping young lad."

Wally and Jimmy lived through some horrendous experiences together in the camp in Singapore, seeing many of their comrades beheaded and narrowly avoiding the same fate themselves.

Wally, who would regularly risk his life to leave the camp and smuggle food and cigarettes back in, vividly remembers the day he was caught and almost executed.

He said: "The guard asked me, Have you anything to say before I execute you?' "Something seemed to tell me to say these things. I replied Yes, I have. If this was a British Prisoner of War Camp, you wouldn't execute me, You would think I was a brave soldier.' "Then I saw his eyes waver, and I thought he doesn't know what to do. He looks at me and said, You go back to camp'."

Another time, he was ordered to hold two heavy stones for hours as a punishment for buying peanut toffees, and told if he dropped them, he would be beheaded.

He also developed gangrine in his leg, and narrowly avoided it being amputated.

But despite this, he was one of the lucky few to survive, and when the war finally ended, he was reunited with his wife Jean in Britain.

In 1988, Jean and Wally moved to Southend, where before the war the pair of East End lovebirds had enjoyed their first date.

The couple's only child, Ron Hilling, also lives in Southend, as do Wally's granddaughters, Cassie, 25, and Zoe, 27.

Sadly, Jean passed away a few weeks before their 60th wedding anniversary.

But Wally has made many friends in the town, and is well known in Southend's clubs for his dancing skills and his fondness for a snifter of whisky.

On Saturday night, Wally was given a big send-off by the Royal British Legion HQ in Northview Drive, Westcliff.

The legion's welfare chair Danny Cooch said: "He is a lovely man. He may be 90, but he's up the legion every Saturday night dancing.

"There's not many people make it to be a Chelsea pensioner. We will miss him - he is a local character."

And on Sunday, he was the subject of a special farewell service at St Andrew's Church in Electric Avenue.