RETURN TO THE BEACH FEATURE: WHEN he was demobbed in 1945 Eddie went on leave for six weeks and he was able to complete his apprenticeship as a carpenter via the Navy's vocational training programme.

When he was qualified he was earning about 2/7d (13p an hour) which gave him the princely wage of around £5 a week.

He lived in the London area for most of his life where he met his first wife Grace who used to work in Marks and Spencer. They were married in 1948.

He has four children, three living in this country and a daughter who lives with her family in the United States.

One year before the couple's golden wedding Grace died tragically when she fell down the stairs at home.

Naturally Eddie was heartbroken and spent two years alone until he went into a shop to sort out a photograph of Grace. There he met Joyce, who had been a widow for 20 years, and after a little bit of courting they realised they were in love and decided to get married.

The couple used to take drives all over the south from Romford and when they travelled to Wootton Bassett five years ago they decided that was where they wanted to live.

They have a bungalow and spend a quiet life in retirement although during their dancing days they were known as the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers of the area.

In fact when Eddie made the trip to Normandy it was the first time that the two had been separated since they were married and every day Eddie had to phone home to make sure all was okay.

"Joyce has been a wonderful wife to me," he said. "After Grace died I fell to pieces, drank and smoked too much because I couldn't cope. But Joyce sorted me out."

"But Joyce sorted me out. She stopped the cigarettes and drink."