Expats
British Couple Who Got Married During Partition Celebrate Love
Army veteran Clarence and Lyn, once a telephonist in Women’s Auxiliary Corps, chart their marriage from India to England.
They landed in Southampton and headed to Yorkshire where Clarence’s parents were living. The newly married couple set up a home in Lincolnshire where they lived for 50 years. They brought up two children, Pat and Terry, before they relocated to Llanidloes in Powys on September 1, 1997.
They then moved together to Bupa Bupa Maes-y- Wennol residential home after Clarence got diagnosed with dementia. “I’d had him by my side for over 60 years, and I wasn’t going to leave him then!,” Lyne said.
Wishes from the Queen
They marked their anniversary with a party at the residential home. Their daughter Pat lives nearby while Terry lives in Scotland with his wife Eileen. Their daughter Helen — Clarence and Lynn’s only grandchild — came from Paris to mark her grandparent’s platinum anniversary.
The couple is also set to receive a congratulatory card from the Queen, according to the Sun. Expressing his gratitude Lyn.
“I count us so lucky to have had such a long, happy marriage and don’t know where I’d be without Clarrie by my side. We’ve been through a lot over the years,”
When asked for tips for a happy marriage, Lynn laughed. “Don’t ask! He will tell you every man should be married, because no man has the right to be happy all the time. And, he will tell you that every man should have a wife to help him understand all the problems he didn’t have when he was single!”
Nevertheless, on their platinum anniversary, Clarence obliged. “Make sure you always agree on the most important things in life. Everything else is a compromise.”
Lyn added to his advice: “Never share a cross word, but instead share plenty of fun ones.”
Sandra Holt, manager of Bupa Bupa Maes-y- Wennol residential, told the The Sun: “Clarrie and Lyn are such an inspirational couple. They’re always by one another’s side and every night, when Clarrie goes to bed, Lyn will tuck him in and give him a kiss. They’re so loved by everyone here that we couldn’t let their special day go unmarked.”