Lincoln woman emotional after King’s card for her diamond wedding anniversary

A Lincoln woman said she felt “a bit choked up” when she received a card from King Charles III and his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, to congratulate her and her husband on 60 years of marriage.

Scottish-born Elizabeth Dunn, 79, known as Betty, and Eric, 84, from Newcastle are both from an RAF background and met in Kinloss, where her father Andrew Anderson was stationed.

Betty’s dad was initially against the relationship, as she says he was “an old fashioned warrant officer and thought we were too young to be together and get married, and that it wouldn’t last”.

However, fast forward 60 years and the couple recently celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary on September 29.

And on Friday, November 4 the couple received a rather important card in the post.

They were both out at the time and saw their postman on their doorbell camera, who told them he wasn’t allowed to put it through their letterbox as it was from Buckingham Palace. He had to video them saying yes to be able to leave it at their home.

Betty told The Lincolnite: “I had really hoped to get a card from The Queen and we sadly lost her just before our anniversary.

“I was a bit choked up (when opening the card). I still feel a bit raw about losing The Queen, but it was special. He put him and Camilla on it, and it is a lovely card that they both signed.”

When asked what the secret is to her long and happy marriage, Betty said: “A lot of patience, a lot of love and always talk to each other.”

She added: “It just makes you feel very lucky that we’re still here and together, especially after what we’ve just gone through (coronavirus pandemic).

“Time has absolutely flown by, but moving around a bit has broken it up, so it doesn’t feel like it’s been as long as 60 years.

“Having children, grandchildren and great grandchildren are the biggest highlights.”

The couple celebrated their anniversary with a family holiday to Spain in September. They will celebrate on their own when they travel to Barbados and join a cruise later this week.

Their daughter Lesley says her parents have a “young outlook on life”.

She said: “I just want to say what fab parents they both are, and what an achievement it is getting to 60 years.

“Many of my friends have adopted my parents as their own parents due to their young outlook on life and always helping out other folk, younger and older than themselves. My brother Allan and I are very fortunate to have such fab and fit parents.

“And the grandchildren Daniel, Liam, Conor and Rhys, and their new great grandchild Arabella, also appreciate and love them to the moon and back.”

Betty and Eric’s story

Eric was a corporal who worked on the aircraft at RAF Kinloss and flight systems was his trade. It was there where the couple first met.

Betty’s dad was then posted to Kenya and Betty had only just left school, so went with him. Eric was sent out there three months later in around 1960 and romance continued to blossom.

However, Betty’s dad didn’t approve, partly due to their five year age gap. She said “he was very Scottish and didn’t want me to marry an Englishman”. She said his disapproval “probably pushed us closer together”, adding that her dad then became happier for the couple, and in his later years Eric helped him a lot.

Betty recalled an amusing story from their time in Kenya, when they had bought a Vespa scooter and used to go to Nakuru to watch car racing.

One night they were coming back through a mountain range and had a puncture. Luckily, a man in his car behind them stopped. He then said “do you realise there are lions wandering about here?’ before helping them get home, in what Betty describes as “one of many adventures”.

The couple got engaged whilst in Kenya, when Eric was 22 and Betty was close to turning 18 — but when asked if it was love at first sight she joked “no, I quite fancied his best friend”.

Eric and Betty got married in Gleadless near Sheffield on September 29, 1962 before their daughter Lesley was born the following year.

They then got posted to Singapore, followed by Sealand in north Wales, where her brother Allan was born in 1969. After moving to Gibraltar Eric took on a second job doing tours of the caves before the couple moved to Scampton.

During this time in the “Graham Taylor years” Betty worked for Lincoln City Football Club, looking after all the kits and being an agony aunt to the then apprentices. Eric was posted to Lyneham, and then Germany, before his last tour back at Kinloss where it had all started.

After Eric came out of the Royal Air Force, the couple moved back to Lincoln where their two eldest grandsons (Lesley’s children) Daniel and Liam Clifton were born.

The joy of two further grandsons (Allan’s children) Conor and Rhys Dunn followed. They were born and raised in Luxembourg where Allan settled after marrying his Southern Irish wife Barbara.

Eric and Betty love spending time with family and welcomed their first great grandchild Arabella (Liam’s daughter) in September this year, while great granddaughter Hannah is due to be born just before Christmas.

Eric also still enjoys working at RAF Coningsby doing the Battle of Britain tours, as well as the visitor tours at the Spire on Canwick Hill.

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