LESBIAN Army privates Vanessa Haydock and Private Sonya Gould, who made military history by becoming the service's first gay couple to get wed, are about to set up home together.

Pte Haydock, 18, who is based at Buckley Barracks in Hullavington, fell in love with her fellow soldier just under two years ago.

At the time they were going through their basic training in Pirbright, Surrey but soon caught each other's attention.

Pte Haydock, who is a member of the Royal Logistics Corps but is currently serving with 9 Supply Regiment, said: "It was a bit complicated to start with because I was already seeing someone else.

"But that relationship ended and Sonya and I got together. I love her to bits and I can't wait to go and live with her."

The couple tied the knot under new civil partnership laws at Chippenham register office on January 23.

So far the newlyweds have been able to spend very little time together but Pte Haydock hopes all that will change tomorrow.

"I'm leaving the Army on Friday and then I'll be going up to Catterick where Sonya and I are hoping to move into a house together," she said.

"I've applied for a job as a driver working for the MoD based in Catterick and it's now just a case of waiting."

Pte Gould, who is also a member of the Royal Logistic Corps, will remain in the Army and is currently based in Catterick, North Yorkshire were she is working as a tank transporter driver.

"We haven't been able to go away on a honeymoon yet but we're hoping that Sonya will get two weeks off at Easter," said Pte Haydock.

"We want to have a week in Majorca and then maybe a week down in Brighton."

Pte Haydock said she had enjoyed her two years in the Army and although she had not been on any tours she had enjoyed playing football for the Corps.

While the two privates were the first homosexual couple in the British Army to get wed, they were not the first in the Armed Forces, after two Royal Air Force women sealed their civil partnership before Christmas last year.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: "As an equal opportunities employer, the Armed Forces seeks to reflect the diverse community it serves. We are pleased that serving personnel who are registered in a same sex relationship now have equal rights to those enjoyed by married couples."

The attitude is in contrast to the previous ban on gays serving in the Armed Forces, lifted in February 2000, which saw up to 200 homosexual personnel sacked each year.

Same-sex civil partnerships became possible on December 5 last year when a law came into force allowing gay and lesbian couples to obtain the same rights as heterosexuals in areas such as employment, pension and inheritance.

Linda Fannin is operations manager for civil partnerships at Devizes register office.

She said: "We've done 29 registers in the county since it first started in December. There was quite a rush at the start but since then it's calmed down and is now quite steady.

"We thought it might go quiet for a while but it's remained steady and this time of year is normally quite quiet. It's certainly becoming part of the everyday working life."