A former soldier’s military training came in handy after his newborn son made an early arrival.

Michael Harper, who served in Bosnia and Kosovo, calmly delivered Matthew while taking instructions from a midwife over the telephone and soothing wife Lisa, a civil servant, at their home in Braintree.

The baby, who weighed 7lb 13oz, took his parents by surprise after arriving two days early in the early hours of Friday.

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