A touching love story that began in Longbridge Deverill during the Second World War has been shared by the family of resident, Sidney Baggs, who died recently aged 96.
Sidney met his future wife, Eileen, now 94, when she was evacuated from London during in 1939 to live with her grandmother in the village. The pair were pupils at Longbridge Deverill Primary School and soon became childhood sweethearts.
Colin Baggs, their son, said, “In the village, probably on the wall in the picture, they carved a heart with an arrow through it with their initials whilst they were at school together. Mum would’ve been eight or nine, and dad would’ve been ten or eleven. If you know where it is, you can still just about make it out.”
After the war, Eileen returned to London, but she and Sidney kept in touch. The couple married on 25th March 1951 and settled in Longbridge Deverill, where they raised their family and remained ever since. They went on to have two children, four grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
“I think, when he died, he was probably the longest living resident of Longbridge, and probably the Deverill valley,” said Colin.
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