Patrick Kinna spent six years working with Winston Churchill, submerged in secret documents and taking minutes of meetings between him and the allied leaders.

But people did not need to be part of the inner circle to know VE Day was approaching and when it was finally announced, Mr Kinna's memory is of relief but also sadness.

There was no time to celebrate because there was still work to be done, not only because of the ongoing war in Japan, but because there was so much paperwork to complete and file.

Speaking from his home in Sussex Square, Brighton, the 92-year-old remembers the flurry of activity in Number 10 as he and his colleagues prepared for their new jobs.

He said: "Everybody was overjoyed and it was a wonderful feeling when Winston made the announcement.

"The weight lifted from all of us because it had been going on for so long but of course Winston realised it would be the end of his premiership.

"He had done this wonderful job and it was all about to finish, so while we were very pleased it was over it also signalled a great career coming to an end.

"We didn't have time to celebrate but it was fun looking out of the window from Number 10 and seeing people rushing around like mad and celebrating. It was very encouraging."

Mr Kinna joined Churchill's inner-circle of four private secretaries at the war's beginning when his exceptional typing and shorthand speed while working in the House of Commons came to the cabinet office's attention.

He said: "One of my main memories is the first time we went to Moscow to meet Stalin.

After the first meeting Winston was dictating a telegram to London and he started talking about Stalin in the most awful way because he had been so rude.

"The British Ambassador warned the Prime Minister the room would be bugged but Churchill continued.

"The next day Stalin was completely different and told him he was going to have a banquet for Winston and all his friends and he couldn't have been nicer."

Churchill asked him to be his private secretary when he was leader of the opposition but Mr Kinna wanted to do something a little easier and became the foreign secretary Ernest Beavan's assistant until he died.

Afterwards Mr Kinna was a director of a timber business, where he remained until he retired at 60.

Don't miss our 32-page supplement commemorating the Second World War free with The Argus on Saturday.