A COUPLE who met and fell in love in Barnard Castle in 1949 are to return to the town this summer to celebrate their platinum wedding anniversary.
Johnnie and Joy Townsend were married at the Congregational Church, in John Street, on June 28, 1952, in the same year as the Queen’s coronation. It was a rushed affair because Mr Townsend was serving in the Royal Signals Corps and was due to be sent to Egypt at short notice.
It was through Congregational Church club meetings that Mr Townsend met his future bride Joy Fry, who had been born and raised in the town. Many of Mr Townsend and his soldier friends attended the meetings.
He said: “At one of the club evenings we were messing about with some darts and I was showing off trying to throw them as close to Joy’s feet as possible – she was wearing canvas shoes at the time – when one dart actually stuck in her foot and drew blood.”
Despite the mishap they remained friendly until they began going out on New Year’s Eve in 1949. Mr Townsend remembers the date. She said: “We sat on the wall of her house after going to the midnight service waiting for her uncle Charlie to let the New Year in, which he did for all the family. Unfortunately for us Charlie had to start his duties on the other side of the town, and that was after being out on the binge all evening.
“Joy and I sat for hours on her garden wall wrapped in my army greatcoat because it was freezing cold. Joy’s dad wouldn’t let either of us in until Charlie had been. Eventually around two o’clock we heard Charlie coming along the street singing quite happily, drunk as a lord.
“He knocked on the door, went in and put a little piece of coal on the fire, got his bit of silver, cut the cake and poured a drink which completed the “first footing” ceremony.” Later Mr Townsend was due to be transferred to West Africa and decided to take his girlfriend to meet his family in London.
He said: “While we were down there I asked her to marry me, and when she finally said ‘yes’, we decided we would get engaged on August 26, 1950, before I went abroad.”
The couple planned to exchange vows when he was due to three months of leave on his return from Africa but things didn’t quite go to plan.
He said: “Before we had time to get everything arranged for the wedding I got orders telling me to report in a few weeks to the depot regiment for posting to Egypt. I quickly sent a telegram requesting an extension to my leave to get married and this was granted but we had to push things along a bit.”
They arranged a special licence, and after the ceremony, they enjoyed a week-long honeymoon in a borrowed caravan in Kent, before he went to Egypt.
The couple later moved to London after Mr Townsend left the Army in 1956, and until recently, they often returned to Teesdale for visits.
They will be celebrating their anniversary with an afternoon tea at the Morritt Arms Hotel, in Greta Bridge, this summer along with their three daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Their daughter, Jay, said: “Mum and dad are celebrating their platinum anniversary the same year as the Queen’s platinum jubilee.
“Mum loves the Queen and is looking forward to receiving a card from her – they already have cards from their 50th and 60th anniversaries.”
