Brief encounter led to 60 years of wedded bliss

Published on Monday 22 June 2009 10:04

WHEN Andrew and Grace Ramsay first met, they didn't exchange so much as a word – but with just one glance, both decided they had met the love of their life.

And now, 60 years on, it is clear they were right, as they celebrate their diamond wedding.

The couple, who live in Penicuik, were both working for Fifty Shilling Tailors when they met. Andrew was at the firm's branch on the corner of Hanover Street and Princes Street, and Grace in their Leith Street shop.

Andrew, 86, said: "I was sent along to the Leith Street shop with a message for the manager. I just walked in, I saw Grace standing behind the cashier's desk and I thought 'This is it.' I left my message with the manager and walked out. I never spoke to her, I just thought 'How am I going to get rid of my current girlfriend!' "

After letting the unlucky lady down gently, he returned and asked Grace on their first date.

She had not worried when he walked out without a word – she was also certain that their brief encounter was love at first sight. Grace, now 85, said: "He looked at me, I looked at him and that was it. I knew he'd come back."

Things almost went awry on their first date, however, as Dalry-born Andrew recalled: "She got off the bus 20 minutes late. I said 'I don't normally wait more than ten minutes' and she almost walked away!"

They went to the cinema and then for a cup of tea, but Andrew discovered he had spent all his money at the pictures. Fortunately Grace saw the funny side and dipped into her own purse for the tea.

Andrew proposed just seven weeks later while they were walking on Calton Hill, and they married at St John's and King's Park Church, in Grace's home town of Dalkeith, on 7 June 1949. They settled first in Carlisle and two years later moved back to Scotland, first to Woodburn and then High Street, Dalkeith.

Grace was an auxiliary at the Royal Infirmary, studying for Highers in the evenings, and went on to work at Dalkeith Library for ten years. After 22 years with Hepworth's tailors, Andrew moved to John Lewis, working as deputy manager of the men's and boys' department until his retirement. They moved to Penicuik in 1996.

The couple say the highlights of their marriage were the birth of their son, Drew, and their many happy holidays they spent together all over the world. Andrew had already travelled extensively while serving with the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during the Second World War.

He served in the Mediterranean, North Africa and the Far East, and was involved in the 1943 Russian convoy, for which he later received a commemorative medal from Russian president Boris Yeltsin.

They celebrated their anniversary with family and friends, with Lord Lieutenant Patrick Prenter delivering greetings from the Queen and a visit from Provost Adam Montgomery.

And the secret of their successful marriage? Andrew said: "What people don't do nowadays – stick at it. "

Grace added: "We just love each other and always have done, and we get on well, and that's it. We never looked for an abundance, we've always been satisfied with what we've got."