With the fiftieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing just a few days away an Exmouth woman has been reliving the moment she spoke to Neil Armstrong on the eve of the landing.

Apollo 11 launched from Cape Kennedy on July 16, 1969, carrying Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin.

At the same time 16-year-old Elizabeth Proctor, now Elizabeth Connal, was working as a supply officer on Ascension Island, a tiny dot of green in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

The island, which is officially British territory, housed a NASA base which was tracking the progress of Apollo 11 as it made its historic journey to the moon.

Liz's father, John Proctor, worked for Cable & Wireless, a British telecommunications company, which was helping with the equipment being used at the NASA base. Liz had just finished school when her father was given the posting and she decided to follow her parents to the small volcanic island.

Liz, now 65, can still remember the atmosphere on the island fifty years on, she said: "It all got very exciting as the Moon Landing drew nearer. I was a very junior member of staff and the island was very quiet at the time but I can still remember the control room was a buzz with excitement as they tracked the astronauts' journey."

Little did Liz know that she would soon be having a conversation with the first man to walk on the lunar surface.

"The day before the moon landing I was asked if I would like to speak to Neil Armstrong and wake him up. I think I said, 'Good morning this is Ascension Island and this is your morning call.'.

"He thanked me and said the message had been received. It was all very stilted, I guess it wasn't the really the done thing at the time. It was a long time ago and it didn't really register at the time."

A day later, on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped out onto the Moon's surface and made history, famously stating: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

Life on the remote volcanic island was unusual but Liz was used to travel after spending most of her early life travelling with her family. She was born in Barbados but split her childhood between a boarding school in East Brent, Somerset, and the then family home in Brazil.

"It was a very primitive island to live on, very volcanic. Most of the ground there was black 'clinker' soil," recalls Liz.

"The island was very sparsely populated at the time and most of the people there were stationed there with NASA or the armed forces.

"I was one of the only women there on the island and there were probably 600 to 700 unaccompanied men on the island. I was collected from home every morning and driven back home at 4.30pm every day."

With the fiftieth anniversary of the Moon Landing taking place on July 20 Liz has been looking back on her time on Ascension Island and her brief conversation with the world's most famous astronaut.

"It was electrifying, particularly for those guys who were heavily involved with the mission. It was all the island talked about," said Liz.

"At the time I didn't really think about it, now looking back I'm proud to have had some small involvement. I doubt anybody remembers what happened regarding my message to Neil.

"The whole experience of working for them was brilliant, it was very different to anything I had done before. It really stood me in good stead."

A street party has been organised in Exmouth to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Moon Landing, click the red button below for more details.