50 years on: How this Telford couple's first class love story made headlines

Keith and Christine Pritchard sent each other 780 letters while he was with the army in the Far East.

Over two-and-a-half years, the couple shared every detail they could by daily post, and even got engaged by mail, putting on their rings at exactly the same time at opposite sides of the world.

Keith, now 71, continued his tour of the Far East, sending back as much information as he could by post. It could take three weeks for the mail to arrive, but it was unusual that Christine didn't receive at least one letter a day.

And when he returned home and the time came to tie the knot, the couple felt it was only fair that their postmen were rewarded with a chance to kiss the bride, a bit of wedding cake and a quick drink to say thank you.

The pictures soon went national, and there was even footage on television.

Now the couple, from Willows Road in St Georges, Telford, are celebrating 50 years of happy marriage – and they say they are closer than ever.

Christine, 70, said: "The postmen came every day to deliver Keith's letters. Sometimes they came twice. I said they've always been so good, always had a joke, I said I'd love them to come to the wedding reception.

"Our love life was in their hands really. The letters were coming from the far East – they kept us going."

The couple had met many years before, while Keith was at Trench Modern school for boys and Christine was at Wrockwardine Wood Girls School.

Bumped

It was not the love at first sight moment that might be expected.

"Christine and a group of pupils had come to use our hall because they had a problem with their own," Keith said.

"I was taking a tray of tea, coffee and biscuits to the teacher's staff room, and Christine and I bumped into each other. I can't remember exactly the conversation, but I don't think it was too nice on my behalf."

Over the years that followed, they kept seeing each other through friends of friends. But it wasn't until a house party that they got to talking.

"The rest is history," Keith said. "And then I joined up."

In total Keith was out of the country for two-and-a-half years, travelling through Brunei, Borneo and Singapore. Christine was at the railway station in Oakengates to see him off.

"We exchanged letters practically every day," Keith said. "Even when I was on tours. We did jungle training in Malaysia, we went up to Thailand.

Family

"We liked to discuss what each other was doing. I did a few phone calls from places like Singapore, and in those day it was extremely expensive. In the old shilling and pence, I think it was £4 for a minute."

Keith said that with letters to look forward to, his time abroad went extremely quickly. Christine kept herself busy as well, taking part in local theatre and working at Sinclair Ironworks.

The couple got married at the Hilltop Chapel in Ketley on June 21, 1969, surrounded by family and friends.

They moved to Germany for a short time, and then moved to Scotland for a while.

But it wasn't long before they returned to Shropshire to raise their burgeoning family.

They had two children, Adrian and Russell, and today have three grandchildren.

Keith worked at MoD Donnington from 1972 until he retired.

Looking back, Keith is unsure how he felt about all the publicity of his wedding day.

But it had one major silver lining.

Memory book

"I wasn't overwhelmed by it at all," he said. "I was shy in nature, but Christine really enjoyed it.

"It was a nice story. At the end of the day it's better than reading about negative things.

"It gave us our memory book, which goes through everything. I've got no regrets that it happened."

The memory book, a mix of pictures from the day, cut out newspaper articles and letters from well-wishers, is an embodiment of one of the cornerstone beliefs of their marriage.

"Make as many memories as you can," Christine said. "That's the most important thing.

"I always say if you can give and take in a marriage that's the best thing you can do.

"We were lucky that two people got on so well."

Keith and Christine celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a trip to Scotland and a meal with some of the people who were at their wedding.