A COUPLE whose wartime romance blossomed into marriage will be celebrating their 65th – blue sapphire – anniversary next week.

Alan and Christine Reilly met in 1943 at a dance at the Fleet Air Arm base in Cheshire where they both worked as aircraft mechanics.

He was from near Edinburgh, she from Bushey, Hertfordshire.

“There would have been nil chance of us meeting if it hadn’t been for the war and the Fleet Air Arm,” said Mr Reilly, aged 86.

“When we were demobbed, we decided to stick together and we’ve done so ever since,”

said Mrs Reilly, 85.

They married in January 1947 and moved to Shropshire where Mr Reilly worked in the fire brigade, lived in a series of caravans and houses as they started a family.

Later they moved to Watford, where they remained until Mr Reilly retired with the rank of divisional commander.

During this time, Christine worked as matron at Watford Girls Grammar School, then as secretary at a local primary school, and became a yoga teacher.

They moved to Malvern 22 years ago and have lived in Cedar Avenue ever since.

Mr Reilly is chairman of Malvern Link Probus, sings in the Malvern Male Voice Choir, and belongs to the bowls club, while Christine is a member of Malvern Link Women’s Institute, and works in the St Richard’s Hospice shop in the Link.

They have three children: Nick, who lives in Shropshire, Kathryn, who lives in Australia, and John, who died some years ago.

Their anniversary is on Tuesday and Mr Reilly said that perhaps the couple will enjoy a quiet lunch to mark the occasion.