A COUPLE who met in Didcot during the Second World War are about to celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary.

Smiling at each other from across their living room in Didcot, Ray and Shelia Clanfield reminisced about the day they first met in 1944.

Mrs Clanfield, now 88, was 16 and working at the Co-Operative grocery store in Didcot when Mr Clanfield, now 92, came in to buy a packet of cigarettes.

He had moved from Wales to Didcot to work as a fireman on the Great Western Railway and was living in a hostel when he first arrived.

He recalled: "Of course we had ration books at the time because it was during the war.

"I went to get my rations and she was at the kiosk at the Co-Op, so I bought a packet of fags and I asked her out to go to the pictures – I fancied her.

"Later on I took her to a place in Cowley. I must have had a few pints and I just proposed there and she is still in shock.

"But she said yes, so it went from there."

The couple married at St Peter's Church, Didcot, on Friday, June 7, 1946, then lived with Mrs Clanfield's mother for two years until they were allocated an army hut in Rymans Field.

Mrs Clanfield said: "It was a beautiful day, I remember I had to borrow everything for the wedding because of it being after the war.

"There was a lady down the road who had two daughters, and they had both got married before me, so I just borrowed their dress and veil.

"It was on a Friday and then we had a weekend in Penzance."

As they looked at the younger versions of themselves outside the church, Mrs Clanfield said she thought they were "quite a good looking couple."

She added: "At the time you don't think of yourselves as good looking, but since looking back at these pictures of our wedding day I think we were quite a good looking couple.

"Family is very important to us and I think that is what has been so special. We are all very close."

Mr Clanfield added: "What can I say, we have always got on very well and together we tackle problems and things and we have been doing that for years.

"I think we have never fallen out."

The couple who have three children, seven grand children, 10 great grandchildren and one great great grandchild hope to make it to their Oak anniversary.

Mrs Clanfield added: "When we got to 60 years I think we thought, well will we make it to 70? And we have made it."

"We've made it this far. Who knows we might make it to 80 years."