THEY have been married longer than the Queen and Prince Phillip and rationing was still in force when they tied the knot.
But when it comes to maintaining a long marriage, James Pardoe has four words of advice: always say ‘Yes, Dear’.
It’s hard to argue with his logic as the 94-year-old from Petersfield has just celebrated 70 years of marriage with his 91-year-old wife, Deirdre.
The pair tied the knot in Burwash Common, East Sussex, in 1948 a year after meeting at a dance, while James’s work as a submariner meant the couple rarely stayed in the same place for long.
After spells in Soberton, Havant, Scotland and Norway the pair eventually settled in Petersfield, while their family has grown to 20 strong with three children, eight grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.
Retirement hasn’t stopped the Swan Street couple from seeing the world as they’ve cruised the Caribbean in a yacht, white water rafted in Costa Rica and stayed on a houseboat in Kashmir.
To celebrate the couple’s platinum wedding anniversary their family threw a special party which included several old friends.
And on the day of their anniversary, they went to Chichester Festival Theatre to see Me and My Girl, which Deirdre last saw with her parents when she was ten.