A wartime romance that more than survived the chaos and disruption of the Second World War was celebrated recently as Hilda and Jim Tuff held a party to mark their 70th wedding anniversary.

When the couple met in 1944, Jim, aged 23, was in the Royal Engineers and working on gun emplacements around the country, this included one in Hull, where Hilda, 24, was a corporal stationed at an anti-aircraft battery.

It wasn’t quite love at first sight! Rather Jim was a handsome distraction to Hilda’s ‘girls’.

"He had blond hair and blue eyes – the girls always found excuses to talk to him. One of the girls said: “That guy is called Jimmy”. I said: “I do not care what he is called, you will be on a charge if you don’t stop talking to him!”’

The girls said Hilda was ‘a stuck-up madam’ and when a serviceman said something insulting when they were all having breakfast, Jimmy said: “Take no notice of him”.

Hilda said: ‘I bumped into Jim when I was going on duty. He asked if I was going to the social. I said I was going on duty, and that I didn’t have time – but I did go later.

‘When we got friendly I got my leg pulled by the girls who said: “When you think how you used to talk to us about talking to him!”’

Hilda explained: ‘He never did propose. I was going shopping with his mother, and she said he was getting married.

‘I was dumb struck, and then said: “Who to?” She said: “You, I hope.”

I wrote to him saying your mother says you’re getting married to me. He replied: “I hope so, get the bans read”.’

‘It was still horrendous,’ he said. ‘It did not end on D-Day, it went on for some time. There was not the same amount of chaos, but there was still the odd bombing and shelling from the Germans.

‘My unit’s main job was to maintain the roads and sometimes create them to supply the front.’

Jim served in France and Belgium, including Ostende docks. When he got leave, they married.

‘When he was coming home I just got a telegram saying he had got 14 days leave,’ said Hilda.

‘We travelled back on the Friday and we married on the Monday.

‘My family had not met him. On the Saturday we went into town. I was in a shop and my cousin came in and said: “There is a good looking soldier out there.”

I said: “Keep your eyes off him, I’m getting married to him!”’

Hilda borrowed a wedding dress and a farmer’s wife managed to sneak her six eggs, so they even had a wedding cake.

Shortly afterwards, still in the army, Jim was posted in Egypt and then Palestine.

He was still there when their first child, Alan, was born in June 1946.

When Jim was de-mobbed and had returned to England, he and the family lived with Hilda’s mother at Ashton-under-Lyne, before moving to a pre-fabricated house.

Jim started working in the local shoe factory. They had another two children: Marion and Diane.

When Jim’s boss got a job at Ronaldsway Shoe Factory he asked Jim if he’d like a job.

‘We came over in 1966,’ said Hilda. ‘I had always said I would like to live by the sea.

‘He did not want to live too near his mother!’

They moved to various addresses in Castletown over the year, and now live in sheltered accommodation at Sandfield.

‘I would not go back to England at any price,’ said Hilda.

‘Jimmy said he would sweep the roads rather than go back.’

Hilda had various jobs in Castletown such as at Mrs B’s bread shop, the Viking and Glue Pot pubs. Jim retired in 1986.

They celebrated their big wedding anniversary with a meal at the Pavilion in Port St Mary. In lieu of presents they asked for donations and raised £371 for the Isle of Man Anti-Cancer Association.

‘We have had our little ups and downs like everybody else, but nothing serious,’ said Hilda.

‘We still love each other, we have been very happy.

‘You need plenty of patience and a great sense of humour.’

As featured in IOM Today.