A couple who met by chance when their mothers were reunited after losing touch during the Second World War have celebrated their golden wedding anniversary.
June and Brian Peck, who came together thanks to an appeal published in the Evening Star 52 years ago, will renew their wedding vows at All Hallows Church in Ipswich on Sunday to mark their 50-year milestone.
Despite growing up almost 200 miles apart, June and Brian managed to cross paths in May 1964 at June’s mum and dad’s silver wedding anniversary celebrations.
June and Brian’s mothers, Mary and Peggy, were in domestic service together in London in the 1930s and became close friends, with Peggy being chief bridesmaid at Mary’s wedding in May 1939.
When the Second World War broke out, the women lost contact as Mary went back to her home in Hampshire and Peggy returned to her family in Ipswich.
But 25 years later, Mary and her husband Irvin decided to hold a party to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary.
In a bid to reunite the long lost friends, the family had a picture of Mary and Irvin published in the Evening Star with the caption: “Know this couple?”
Spotting the appeal, Peggy and her husband George made the trip to Nether Wallop to attend the event – with son Brian as their driver as he was the only one in the family to have a car. It was then that the future bride and groom first laid eyes on each other, and, as June puts it, “the rest is history”.
“I just thought he was great,” said June, aged 69. “We had a walk at the party on our own through the village because Nether Wallop is a very quaint little village.”
The pair stayed in touched, with Brian telephoning June regularly from Ipswich, and in October 1964 she visited the town for a holiday.
Brian took June to a Beatles concert at the Gaumont, which later became the Ipswich Regent.
“He didn’t realise how much of a fan I was of the Beatles,” June added.
“There weren’t many seats left when Brian got the tickets and the only ticket available was a box and I was really impressed. “Everyone else in the auditorium couldn’t hear what was going on as everyone was screaming, but in the box we had speakers.
“It was absolutely fabulous, I was blown away – he didn’t stand a chance then, I thought I would marry this man.”
During the holiday, June and Brian visited Dedham, and it was here that the couple made the decision to share the rest of their lives together.
Brian, aged 73, said: “June said to me, ‘where do we go from here?’ and I said we could get engaged, and that was it.”
June moved to Ipswich in spring 1965 and they got married at St Andrew’s Church in Nether Wallop on April 2, 1966.
The couple have lived in Ascot Drive, Ipswich, for 48 years, and have two sons – Andrew and Stephen – and three grandchildren – Zoe, Alex and Louis.
When asked what the secret to a long and happy marriage is, June said: “Give and take”.
“We have got lots of interests, we have interests together and separate as well, and I think that’s half of it,” she added. “You have got to work at these things, they don’t just happen.”
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