When Bernard Whitworth married Mavis Lindsay in 1955, their marriage was deemed worthy of newspaper headlines as Bernard was, at the time, serving on board the Royal Navy’s flagship, the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal.
This April sees the couple, who emigrated to Freemantle, Australia, in 1967, celebrate their Diamond Wedding Anniversary.
Bernard was born in Bishop Auckland on 29th January 1933 while Mavis was born at 80B Redworth Road, Shildon on 11th March 1936.
Bernard took up the story of how the couple met: “I joined the Royal Navy in 1949 aged sixteen after leaving school at fourteen,” he said. “Before joining I worked at Haines Bakery and as a junior welder at Shildon Wagon Works.
“In the Summer of 1953 I was serving on HMS Diadem, a light cruiser based in Plymouth, and was waiting to go on summer leave when the sailor next to me said: ‘Why don’t you come with me and stay with my family in London?’
“I could not make up my mind so I took out a penny and said, ‘Heads I go with you and tails I will go home to Shildon.’
“It came down tails. As the saying goes the die was cast!
“On my return, Freddy Ellison (my eventual best man) from Shildon and I decided to go to the Eldon Lane pictures and I was in my uniform. (In those days, sailors were deterred from wearing civilian clothes).
“Mavis was sitting in the row below and I said to Fred: ‘Who is that beautiful young woman?’
“Fred replied: ‘That is Mavis Lindsay and you can forget it.’
“Not to be deterred I spoke to Mavis and was quietly and firmly ignored.
“When the pictures came to an end we made our way to the bus stop and Mavis was there too.
“The United bus came and when Mavis sat down I sat next to her and the bus conductor came for the fares.
“I said: ‘Two to the Market Place please.’
“Mavis and her brother John lived in the Market Place with her grandmother Hannah Lindsay (their mother died when Mavis was six and John was five).
“I asked Mavis if I could see her again and she said yes. I think Freddie was quite surprised!
“For 18 months we kept in contact by mail – now called “snail mail” whilst I was serving in the West Indies, Malta and with the Home fleet on HMS Enard Bay and married in 1955.
“I left the RN in 1958, working at Kleemans Plastics, Toledo Woodheads and Cranes.
“1967 was a bad winter and we decided to emigrate to Australia as ‘Ten Pound migrants’. We left from Southampton on the MV Fairsea on 31st May 1968 with our children Marie (10) and Michael Andrew (3).
“We arrived in Fremantle on 29th June 1968. When we arrived the weather was shocking with rain pouring down – we had landed in one of the wettest Austrailian winters on record; 38 inches of rain fell that year: Welcome to Australia!
“The photos show our wedding in Shildon on 9th April 1955 with Freddie, my best man on the left and our families. The other photo shows us as we are today.”
Shildon & District's local community newspaper.
