War hero and wife mark diamond day

By [jhayward]

A DECORATED war hero and his wife are celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary today.

John and Norma Arkell married in 1949 and have spent most of their married life in Shaftesbury, where he was born and bred.

The couple will be joined by family from as far away as Australia to celebrate 60 years of marriage after they met during World War Two.

Mrs Arkell met her husband while he was serving in the Royal Navy and stationed at Hove with her cousin.

She said: "John couldn't get back to his home in Shaftesbury when he had leave, so one day my cousin brought him to stay with us.

"We met a few times and that was it; we fell in love."

The romance nearly ended tragically when Mr Arkell was seriously wounded in a sea battle during Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa in 1942 and 1943.

He said: "I had been on board the destroyer HMS Bramham and spent my time loading shells, which weighed 65lbs, into the guns. After that I qualified as a sub-lieutenant and went on a machine gun boat called MGB 607.

"On the night of 24 and 25 October 1943, the Germans sent across 30 e-boats and we sank two of them. We rammed a third and even though our boat was made of wood and theirs of metal, the Germans came off worse and sank. Ours was the only MGB to sink three e-boats."

But during the fight Mr Arkell, then 20, was hit by shrapnel in the legs, thighs and face. He lost his right eye and the cheek below it was ripped apart.

Mrs Arkell stood by her man while he underwent reconstructive operations, performed by pioneering plastic surgeon Sir Archibald McIndoe.

Mr Arkell, now 86, said: "He completely rebuilt my face and now it doesn't look too bad."

The couple waited six years before they married while Mr Arkell, who later received the Distinguished Service Cross for gallantry against the enemy, qualified as a solicitor.

The pair eventually wed in Reigate, Surrey, in 1949, and moved to Shaftesbury, where they lived in Palladwr House, Bleke Street, for more than 40 years. They had four children, Pamela, Fiona, Rosalind and Nicholas. Pamela suffered from cerebral palsy and died aged five.

For many years, Mr Arkell was partner in a legal practice Burridge, Kent and Arkell, from which he retired in 1987. The couple have been involved with many societies, particularly the Royal British Legion, of which Mr Arkell is president.

Their three children and nine grandchildren are visiting Shaftesbury for the celebration, with eldest daughter Fiona jetting in from Australia.

Mrs Arkell said: "It doesn't seem like 60 years have gone by because we have been so happy."