FORCES sweethearts who met while serving their country today celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary.

Diamond duo Peter and Pat Chesworth from Dentons Green met when Peter, now 82, was doing his national service as a Craftsman soldier in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.

Peter was born in Ada Street off Sherdley Road and attended Robins Lane School. He was a turner at Appleton and Howard in Salisbury Street before being conscripted into the Army.

Pat, now 80, hails from Plumpton, Sussex and was serving in Womens Royal Army Corps when they met when Crafstman Chesworth was carrying out maintenance work at the Royal Military College of Science in Shrivenham, Wiltshire.

“My family, the Pilbeams, moved around a lot and we were living in Hastings when Peter and I married on February 20, 1954 at All Souls Church, Trivale,” recalled Pat.

They moved to St Helens after Peter was demobbed and he went back to engineering at Appleton and Howard then worked at Pilkington’s Ravenhead and Fibreglass plants then was employed making valves at Hattersleys in Ormskirk before retiring early suffering from pneumonia and asthma.

They have a son Duncan, and daughters Alison Schofield and Melanie Swindells plus six grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

Once their son and daughters had grown up Pat went to work at Fosters glass works, at Pilkington’s in City Road, also at Boots in St Helens town centre and on school dinners at Cowley School.

“They were happy days. I wouldn’t like to live back down south but I do miss the sea,” laughed Pat.

The Chesworths are fond of animals and have a Shih Tzu called Lucy and Sam the cat.

Peter is a keen bowler and plays for the Police in Pilkington’s Pensioners League and in his younger days played football and cricket for Holy Trinity.

Nowadays they enjoy entertaining their close-knit family and will have a family get together to celebrate their marriage milestone.