Fareham couple celebrate 70 years of marriage

Seventy years later, the couple still adore musical melodies – and each other.

John, 89, says: ‘You hear a lot of people say this, but it was love at first sight.’

The couple met at HMS St Vincent, Gosport, while John, from Nottingham, was serving as a trumpet player in the Royal Marine Band and Ivy worked for the NAAFI.

Ivy and John married at Fareham Register Office on March 24, 1950, before they moved to Portchester.

‘I had just been drafted to HMS Excellent on Whale Island before we got married,’ explains John.

‘I was a relief but was told I couldn’t have any annual leave. We got married on the Friday and I was back on parade on Sunday.’

The Winns had five children and moved to St Anne’s Grove, Fareham, and have been there ever since. They now have six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

John was medically discharged from the Royal Marines in 1955 and recovered in Haslar Hospital, Gosport.

Ivy, 89, says: ‘I got the bus each day to see him. To this day, I hate hospitals.’

Throughout his life, John continued to practice music and passed that passion on to his children. Their second eldest son, Antony, says: ‘Dad’s love of music was everywhere when we were growing up.

‘He played in many brass bands in the Portsmouth area and even went to London to play for a championship band.’

Ivy adds: ‘You hear people saying that they haven’t had any arguments. That’s not true, we have had our ups and downs. We soldiered on and got through it.

‘But we’re very, very proud.’

Unfortunately the Winns had to cancel their celebratory anniversary plans but hope to celebrate in July in time for Ivy’s 90th birthday.