Diamond joy

The event took place at the Lord Mayor Treloar College at Alton in Hampshire and was organised by their youngest son Tom.

"It was great fun," said Margaret, "It was superb, really, and breath-taking because he worked so hard. There were our wedding photographs there on the wall, and my wedding dress on the stage on a model. It looked lovely. Tom even got the family tree up all around and people were looking at where they came from".

The party was held on April 7, the actual date of their wedding anniversary, and one of their guests was a 98 year old aunt from Liverpool, Mrs Margaret Hill, who was celebrating her birthday on the same day. She was there when Jack and Margaret married in North Staffordshire in 1947.

The couple, both 85, of Bolebroke Road, were joined by their other children and relatives who had flown in from around the world to take part in celebrations.

Their son David came from Australia with his own daughter Emily who put forward her March wedding and honeymoon so she did not miss out on the big diamond wedding party.

Also there were daughters Amanda, who lives in Alton near Tom, Adrienne, currently living in the UK but returning to Jordan, and Alice, resident in France. No fewer than 75 guests stayed the night after the party, so the next morning Jack did what he does best - cook for them.

"We made breakfast for everybody," he said.

"It was the full English breakfast - I cooked all the eggs, bacon and sausages."

"He was in his element",said Margaret.

Jack's interest in cooking began early. Born in Somerset, he grew up in West Buckland and began his apprenticeship in the bakery trade at the age of 14. During the war he was in the Royal Marines, serving on HMS Royal Sovereign, and working in the officer's mess.

He met Margaret when they were both 19 - she grew up in Staffordshire and trained as a nurse in Manchester.

Margaret said: "I was on holiday at my aunt's farm near West Buckland - it was very isolated, an old ramshackled farm which we thought, because we came down from Manchester, was so romantic because it had no electricity and no hot water.

"It was a Sunday morning and I wanted to go for a walk up the hill. My cousin was too busy to go with me, and at that moment Jack came in wearing his uniform. My aunt said - Jack will take you for a walk up the hill.

"We hardly spoke. I suppose we were shy.

"He fell madly in love - he went back on cloud nine.

"It was his persistence that paid off because I didn't really want to give up my career."

The couple exchanged letters and gradually Jack won Margaret round to his way of thinking.

When they married, they lived in Plymouth while Jack worked at a new officers' mess at Bickley, cycling to work every day to keep himself fit.

He was invalided out of the Royal Marines following an accident and went back into the bakery trade to start his own business - he still cooks every day and loves it.

"This is what I always say to young people - the sort of work you need is when you go to bed, you want to get up to go to work. That is the job to have. Then you will be happy in your work."

They moved to Normans Bay in 1971, where they ran a holiday home for thalidomide children, then moved to Bexhill town centre in 1978 where they owned the Kenilworth residential guest house in Buckhurst Road.

"We have had such a life", said Jack, "and we have travelled all over the world as well."

Camilla Lake