Congratulations to Mr and Mrs G Watts

Congratulations and best wishes to Mr and Mrs George Watts, of Lower Village, Westleigh, who on Wednesday quietly celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary – sixty years of married life! They were married at Barnstaple on February 14th 1885. Mr Watts is in his 86th year and Mrs Watts in her 81st and both have kept in fairly good health all their lives ‘through hard work’ as Mrs Watts puts it.

Before her marriage, Mrs Watts was Miss Elizabeth Ann Turner, daughter of Mr and Mrs W Turner, of Westleigh. She is a native of Westleigh and has lived in the parish all her life. Mr Watts is a native of Fremington and they have lived in Westleigh since they were married. Both are staunch supporters of the Methodist Church.

A platelayer by trade, Mr Watts worked on the railway for about thirty-five years. Although Mr Watts could think of no spectacular reminiscences on the spur of the moment, it is worth while mentioning a family connection with the railway, for Mrs Watts’ father helped to build the connection to Bideford. Mr Watts was a keen cricket enthusiast in his younger days.

One reminiscence of hard winters by Mr and Mrs Watts was of the occasion when the postman set out from Bideford in deep snow and was lost in a snow-drift with fatal consequences.

Mr and Mrs Watts’ descendants extend into four generations – they had eleven children (including only one son), of whom eight survive, and now the family circle numbers 24 more – 16 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. The family is widely scattered in all parts of the country.

One son-in-law and seven grandchildren are serving in the Forces – four of them overseas.

Gazette article dated 20 February 1945