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Platinum couple celebrate special day
Mr and Mrs Broomhead are celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary on February 22. Mrs Broomhead is holding one of her many woodcarvings, a hobby she took up at the age of 70.
A couple who met and married during the midst of World War Two are celebrating a very special anniversary.
Philip and Betty Broomhead of Heysham have been together for 70 years, a platinum achievement.
Philip, 92, and Betty, 89, had only known each other for a few months before they walked down the aisle.
They married at the English Martyrs church in York in 1943.
Philip said: “Betty was in the choir and I was in the congregation – we met after church and it went from there.
The couple honeymooned in York for a week before Philip was called up to go to Malton with the West Yorkshire Infantry Regiment.
Meanwhile Betty remained in York, where she was born.
From Malton Philip got called to Iceland for two years.
He said: “I was in Iceland to prevent the Germans using it as a submarine base. I was wounded in the second battle for Arnhem. I received a shrapnel wound in the leg but it wasn’t serious.”
Philip came back to York and Betty and him lived in his mother’s house. They had three children, Christopher, Valerie and Rosemary, and have six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
The couple moved to Spalding in Lincolnshire where the children grew up. They then moved back to York and then Hutton, near Preston.
The pair have been in Morecambe for 30 years but used to like coming to Morecambe for breaks.
They have pursued their own interests throughout their marriage.
Betty went to night school and did wood carving, which she took up at the age of 70.
She was also a founder member of U3A, a co-operative for older people no longer in full-time work.
Philip has been a member of the Sefton Road Ramblers for 20 years. He goes swimming twice a week at Salt Ayre Sports Centre.
In the late 80s or early 90s, Philip negotiated with the local council to be given a piece of land for the local community between Oxcliffe Avenue and Oxcliffe Road. The land was made into a community garden with Philip’s help. Philip won three or four awards for Gardens in Bloom for the garden.
The couple are planning a lunch for family to celebrate their platinum wedding.
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Monday 20 May 2013
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