A COUPLE who wed within weeks of meeting each other have celebrated an incredible 70 years of marriage.

Maurice and Doreen Halls met at a dance in December 1944 when Maurice, who was 21 and in the Navy, had a brief spell on land. His ship had docked in North Shields and he spied Doreen from across the dance floor.

It clearly was love at first sight but the besotted couple had to make a difficult choice as Maurice was going back to sea within a matter of weeks – whether to get married straight away or whether to risk not seeing each other again.

Maurice and Doreen, then 19, decided to take the plunge and organised a hasty wedding with the help of their ration books.

They wed on January 13, 1945, in North Shields, and had just a few precious days as man and wife before Maurice was once again called back to sea.

Fortunately, the old adage ‘marry in haste, repent at leisure’ proved not to apply to the Halls, and seven decades later they are still happily married and have now celebrated their platinum anniversary.

They brought up their three children, Michael Halls, Tricia Ward and Elaine Reid, largely in North Shields, though Maurice’s work in the Navy saw him posted abroad for long periods of time.

When he left the Navy, he worked for Sperry Gyroscope, while Doreen concentrated on the family.

They relocated to the south of England when they were in their 60s, and moved to the borough only months ago.

The couple, now aged 91 and 89, celebrated their special platinum wedding anniversary with family at Applewood Care Home, in Coppers Lane, Bramley. In addition to their three children, they now have five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Son Michael said: “From what they’ve told us about the secret to a long marriage, I think it helps to start young!

“They didn’t think about it too much when they married – they just went ahead, and they have had a happy marriage. It is unusual for one to last for 70 years – we had real problems in finding a card.”

The couple received a number of cards from family and friends and even had a message of congratulations from The Queen.