THEY celebrated their diamond wedding 15 years ago. But today Edith and Sam Baughan are celebrating their diamond-and-gold wedding anniversary after notching up an amazing 75 years of marriage.

A family celebration has been planned for the couple at their home in Tanglewood Close, Wigmore, Gillingham.

The couple met while Sam, whose real name is Sydney, was serving with the Royal Marines at Chatham, and Edith was a parlour maid at Leybourne Castle, West Malling.

Shortly after the couple were married Edith, now 95, went to work as a nursing auxiliary at All Saints' Hospital, Chatham, looking after geriatric patients.

And after retiring from the Royal Marines, Sam too began working at the hospital as a gate porter.

Sam, 99, only gave up driving in February last year. He said: "I started when I was 14, and my licence was completely clean from start to finish."

The couple have two daughters, four grandchildren, five great grandchildren, a step-grandson and a step-greatgrandaughter.

And their recipe for a happy marriage? Give and take, plus a good meat pudding dinner once a week.

* See Monday's Medway Messenger for the full story.