FORMER mining engineer Ron Portsmouth and his wife Millie are celebrating 60 years of marriage.

And yesterday the couple, who are both 79, travelled from their Swindon home to South Wales to join their family to celebrate their diamond anniversary.

Ron and Millie spent most of their working lives in South Wales, where Ron managed the Britannia Colliery.

The couple, who lived near each other, had been courting for a year when they decided to get married.

Their family told them when they were 19-year-olds that they would have to wait until they were 21 to tie the knot.

But when Millie received her call-up papers to work for the land army, they decided to bring the wedding date forward so that they could stay together as married women were exempt from joining up.

Ron and Millie tied the knot on December 27 1941 in the Welsh village of Ynysddu.

The couple were joined in their celebration by their two sons Barrie and Terry, four grandchildren and two great grandchildren.