DIAMOND wedding couple Joan and Ken Hallet had an explosive start to their marriage.

Ken was an instrument maker, a reserved occupation, which meant he was not called up into the forces. So, when he was not making instruments, he was a fireman.

The couple had met while working at the Burndept factory in West Street, Erith.

But on their wedding day on April 19 1941, the Burndept factory was bombed and they were both out of a job.

Even worse, Ken was rostered for night fire duty for the week after he married. “And I spent the first two weeks of our married life damping down the Burndept fire,” he added.

The couple met when Joan was 17 and Ken was 21. After they married, they moved into their home in Beechfield Road, Erith, where they still live.

Ken went to work for Standard Telephone Cables after the war and was works superintendent when he retired.

Now aged 79 and 84, Joan and Ken have three sons and two daughters, 11 grandchildren and five great grandchildren. The couple celebrated their big day with a family party.