WHEN Gorleston couple Herbert and Ethel Colborn got married, Britain was preparing for the second world war and a sign behind them in their wedding photo read: “Sandbag fillers wanted.

WHEN Gorleston couple Herbert and Ethel Colborn got married, Britain was preparing for the second world war and a sign behind them in their wedding photo read: “Sandbag fillers wanted.”

They survived those five dark years and their marriage has proved longer- lasting than most.

And on on Wednesday they celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary.

Mr Colborn, 93, and his 88-year-old wife, who live in Trinity Avenue, were featured in the Mercury when they reached their diamond anniversary in 1999 - but now even that is just a memory! They met by chance in 1933 when they were with groups of friends at Manor Park in London, and they had a church wedding on September 30, 1939.

At the time, Mr Colborn was working as a solderer - which became a reserved occupation for the war effort - and Ethel was a machinist.

In peacetime, Mr Colborn joined the RAF as a cook, seeing service in Burma, before returning to London to work on the Underground.

Working on the railways took the family to Lowestoft in 1961, and he worked as a porter at the railway station before moving to the Yarmouth area when he retired.

They have four children, James, 68, June Peasbrugghe, 65, Stanley, 62 and Richard, 58, as well as 11 grand-children and nine great- grandchildren.

They will be celebrating their platinum anniversary by welcoming friends to their home this weekend.

Mrs Colborn said: “I think the key to a long-term marriage is to share

things. We never say: 'This is mine and this is mine' - everything is shared between us.”