Two Skipton nonagenarians have celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary.

Len and Muriel Parry, aged 92 and 90 respectively, were married at St John’s Church in Burnley on July 22, 1948.

The Parrys, who live on Long Meadow, met at a dance at the Mechanics Institute, Skipton, a few months before Len was called up to the RAF and sent to Singapore, where he operated flying boats with the 205 Squadron.

A year into his tour, Japanese troops stormed the island and seven days later the British forces surrendered, leaving Mr Parry and his comrades as prisoners.

“We were captured by the Japanese, but we managed to escape to Sumatra before being rejoining our squadron in Java,” said Mr Parry.

He also recalled how his squadron had meant to be evacuated to Australia, but never went there due to reports of Japanese submarines capturing ships in the waters.

He said: “After six years, I was demobbed and then Muriel and I picked up where we left off, eventually getting married in 1948.”

Mrs Parry worked as a counter clerk at the post office for eight years before getting married and bringing up a family.

Mr Parry worked as a gas fitter after the war before taking up a job working at Radio Relay, Skipton’s first broadcasting station. Before retiring, he worked at North Eastern Gas in Keighley.

The couple have three children – Nigel, who lives in York, Nicholas, from Silsden, and daughter, Rosamund, of Skipton. They have four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.