When soldier Sam Brown met Marlborough girl Mary Beasant at the town’s annual Mop fairs the love that sparked between them led to not just one marriage but two.

Mr and Mrs Brown of Homefields, Marlborough, will be celebrating their golden wedding tomorrow but are saving their energy for a big family party they are planning for October when all their relatives and friends will be back from their holidays.

Mr Brown, originally from Greenock in Scotland, was doing National Service in the Royal Engineers based at Chiseldon Camp. He was at Marlborough Mop Fair riding in a dodgem car when he literally bumped into local girl Mary Brown.

They were married at St Mary’s Church in Marlborough in August 1961 and that triggered a second wedding, because their best man, Mr Brown’s brother Andrew, and chief bridesmaid Sarah Philpott hit it off and were subsequently married. They now live at Lockeridge and have four grown up children.

Mr and Mrs Brown made their first home at Lockeridge before moving into Marlborough to live in the cottage attached to the Royal British Legion Club.

He was a time-served welder who was originally in ship building back in his native Scotland and for many years he worked at British Leyland in Swindon.

Mrs Brown is known to generations of children at St Mary’s Infants School, where she was a cook and then cleaner in charge for a total of 28 years.

They have two married daughters and one grandson, Jake Packer, having tragically lost their other grandson Dan Sprules, who died from an illness three years ago.

Mr Brown, 75, enjoys maintaining their meticulous garden and Mrs Brown, 71, makes her own greeting cards and loves word-search puzzles.