THE VE Day celebrations last weekend were deeply poignant for a whole generation who lived through the Second World War, and for Roy and Charlotte Morton they were particularly so.

For it was on May 7 1945 - as victory over Hitler was announced, that the couple, of Tonypistyll Road, Pentwynmawr, tied the knot.

"We made the decision about 24 hours before because I had a bit of leave before having to go back out to France," said Mr Morton, 82, who served with the Royal Artillery.

Celebrations were brief, however, because he soon found himself back in Europe, before spending a year in the Far East.

It had been a courtship of correspondence throughout the war, as Mr Morton embarked on the D-Day landings, while Mrs Morton worked at a Spitfire factory in Birmingham.

"It was a difficult time. We were being bombed and having to worry about our men who were on the front-line," said Mrs Morton, also 82.

They met in his home village of Pentwynmawr, near Newbridge, where they still live today.

Swansea girl Mrs Morton was staying with relatives in the village.

"We met at the chapel, and it just grew from there," she said.

The couple, who have three children and six grandchildren, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with an "open-house" for family and friends.