Former Air Commodore Stanley Charles Widdows and his wife Nickie are celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary. (0835200)

A GUERNSEY couple recalled yesterday how they married on the eve of the outbreak of the Second World War.

Air Commodore Stanley Charles Widdows, 99, and his wife Irene, 93, known as Nickie, married in a small church in Woodbridge, Suffolk, on 2 September 1939.

They had originally been due to wed on 30 September but, with the outbreak of war imminent, Mr Widdows asked his wife to marry him with just 24 hours’ notice.

‘It happened so quickly because Charles always said he wouldn’t marry me if there was a war on,’ said Mrs Widdows. ‘All the invitations were sent out but on the 1 September he called and said he had a special licence and would I come and marry him the following day.

‘Of course I said yes and I was there at 12 o’clock.’

There were three people at the service with the couple, the bride’s sister and mother and the best man.

‘I knew the war was coming because I was right up with all the information,’ said Mr Widdows. The following day war was declared.