HAPPY couple Pryce James Lewis and wife Arvona have celebrated an amazing 75 years of marriage.

They married during the dark days of World War II when rationing meant Pryce’s mother couldn’t travel from the family’s home in Radnorshire to her son’s wedding in Cefn Fforest, near Blackwood, in South Wales.

"There was only a few of us there," said 96-year-old Pryce recalling the big day on January 6, 1942.

"Only my father, brother and my uncle could come. It was during the war and we could only have the one car as we couldn’t get the petrol. My mother had to stay at home. We had to make the best of everything in those days."

The sweethearts, who were aged 21 and 19 when they began their three year courtship, met when teenager Arvona, who is now 94, left her home in the Gwent valleys to work at the large home of Captain Graham Clark on the Radnorshire side of the River Wye at Erwood.

Pryce, who is also known as PJ, was working at Cwmhellig farm in Llandeilo Graban, Radnorshire.

After their wedding, Pryce went to work as a shepherd at Sir Herbert Merritt’s farm in Dinas Powys while he also served in the Home Guard.

"I was with what they call the Dad’s Army and used to go two nights a week on the guns to defend Cardiff. I was on a projector gun in Penarth.

"They never told us wether we’d shot any planes down or not. There were several guns, a battery. They definitely brought some planes down but I can’t say that I did."

After the war Pricey also worked in the timber trade and in 1965 the couple became landlord and landlady of the Erwood Inn. They ran the pub until 1996 when Pryce finally retired aged 76.

THe couple, who now live in Bronllys and who have six children, 11 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, celebrated their anniversary with a family part at the Old Barn in Three Cocks and have also received a congratulatory card from the Queen.

"They’ve been very happy years," said Pryce on more than seven decades of sharing a life together.

"You’ve got to have a bit of give and take. We’ve always had a good house and food and lived well.

"We ran the Erwood Inn in Erwood for 31 years and had to share the work because we didn’t employ any staff to start with, but we employed several after building the business up but in the beginning it was just ourselves.

"We miss it because we made a lot of friends as well as customers.

"I was 76 when I retired from the pub and I did a lot of work in timber as well. I worked seven days a week most of my life."

Pryce said having missed last autumn’s gardening season due to a stay in hospital he is looking forward tending his allotment again this spring.