IT’S been 70 years since David Peter Haughney and Mary Joan Randall were married at St Joseph’s Church, Aldershot.

The couple tied the knot on October 23, 1948, aged 22 and 23. Now aged 92 and 93 respectively, Mr and Mrs Haughney have celebrated their platinum anniversary.

David treated his wife to a bouquet of roses, of which he bought one for every 10 years they have spent together. He also bought Mary a “pin-head of platinum” to mark the occasion and the couple received a telegram from Her Majesty The Queen.

David and Mary met at the young age of just 14 while they were at Aldershot Youth Centre in 1940.

David was born in India with the Welch Regiment, before moving to the Aldershot Barracks and then Farnham, where he has lived with Mary for the past 22 years.

He worked as an accountant for a mid-southern utility company in Aldershot, before being called up for war. He was assigned to work as a Bevin Boy (miner) during the Second World War.

David also served in the Navy for a year and the Air Training Corps (ATC) for three years, saying he felt as though he’d been “in the army my whole life”. He was a keen golfer at Army Golf Club in Aldershot and went on to become captain in 1975.

After the war, David went back to the accounts office, before training as a carpenter until the age of 27. He ended up working as a senior area contracts manager covering 14 sites.

Mary was born in Woking and her family moved to Aldershot when she was just a toddler.

Before the war, Mary was a telefonist and worked in a post office opposite the utility company David worked at. During the Second World War she manned substations, before retiring to start a family.

They went on to have three children; Michael, who sadly passed away 10 years ago, Teresa and Paula. They are also now grandparents to six grandchildren.

On retirement, David completed a degree in Fine Art, achieving a 2:1, and believed he was the “oldest alumni” at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) in Farnham.

At the age of 71, he studied pottery at Farnham Sixth Form College and continued this art for seven years. He then learned how to play the piano for a further seven years.

Mary belonged to the church and used to help with flower arranging. Both Mary and David are still members of the Farnham Senior Sports Club where they play an array of sports.

Their two daughters will be joining them for more celebrations on Sunday.