When war veteran Albert Courtney stopped to pick up a hitchhiker in Germany in 1946, he could not have imagined he was about to meet his future wife.

But that is exactly what happened - and next week the couple celebrate 60 years of wedding bliss.

Lifelong Kidlington resident Albert, 83, and German-born Melita, 80, were married at St Mary's Church in the village on April 24, 1948.

The couple, who live in Green Road, have two children, Frances, 49, and David, 48, and two grandchildren Annika, aged three, and Simon, aged 15 months.

Albert, formerly a driver for Davies Parcel Delivery in Headington, was an Army supply driver in Europe between 1944 and 1947.

He remembered: "I was driving back from a delivery when I picked up Melita.

"It was against the rules, of course.

"She was walking along the road towards Brunswick - there were no buses in those days.

"I stopped - and that was that. She was good looking and we hit it off immediately.

"It was lucky she could speak English because my German wasn't great."

They met again that evening and, the following year, Melita flew to England.

Albert said: "She came over and I had a choice. I could either marry her within six weeks or pay for her flight back to Germany."

He joked: "I chose the former because it was cheaper."

The couple said they were proud to reach their diamond wedding anniversary and put their long marriage down to "give and take".

Albert said: "We have had our ups and downs like everybody else, but we have been happy.

"We have two great kids, a great family. They all say we are quite a comical pair."

Melita, who worked for Wychwood School for 36 years, added: "We have always got on well together and it's exciting to be celebrating our 60th anniversary."

The couple are celebrating with a lunch party at the Holt Hotel in Banbury Road.