Mr Richards, 84, knew Sir Henry Wood, former conductor of the now BBC Proms, which used to be known as the "Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC", and has been a music critic for local and national newspapers and magazines.

The Collinswood Drive resident was watching one proms concert in 1941 at Queens Hall, in London, the night before it was bombed and destroyed in the Blitz in World War Two.

In fact Mr Richards went to every single proms concert until 1952, when he became a critic, and then picked and chose which ones he went to.

"I go to the opening night, and I always go to the last night. I shall be at the proms five times between now and the last night, and I've been three times already," he said. "And I listen on the radio."

"I learned my music that way. When I was young, and during the war, and living in London, I was borrowing music scores from libraries. I was on the front row. I queued - sometimes overnight - for tickets.

"I enjoyed following the scores and teaching myself as I went along. I learned a lot about practical music."

Mr Richards moved to Hastings from London 25 years ago. He plays the piano and organ, but "only for myself" and is married to Australian concert pianist Rhondda Gillespie.

The grandfather is still the editor of Britain's oldest classical music magazine, Musical Opinion, a job he has done for the last 22 years.

"I enjoy the challenge," he said. "I enjoy writing."

Mr Richards, whose son is actor Gavin Richards, who was Terry Raymond in Eastenders, has travelled the world as a critic, and throughout that time always contributed reviews for his local newspaper, the Hampstead and Highgate Express in London.

He said: "I've had a marvellous life, doing nothing but listening to and writing about music."

For more information about Musical Opinion go to www.musicalopinion.com.