THEY risked the wrath of their families, just by falling in love.
Former SS Stormtrooper Rudi Franzel and Betty Young initially kept their friendship a secret after meeting at Upperkeith Farm, in Humbie, East Lothian.
But the relationship between the PoW and the local farm girl blossomed and this week they cel
ebrated their diamond wedding anniversary.
They met a few years after the end of the Second World War, when Rudi had been billeted to pick potatoes at a farm close to the Gosford PoW camp near Aberlady.
Betty, now 81, had been sent to the farm by her mother to collect vegetables and Rudi helped her carry the heavy basket.
The pair got chatting and when Rudi asked Betty for her address she admits she was too scared of her mother's reaction to their friendship so gave him the address of a friend.
She said: "I had taken the bus to pick some tatties for my parents, but the baskets I had for them were so large and heavy that I was having trouble. The next thing I knew this huge, very handsome, man came over to help.
"He spoke only a little English and I knew right away that he must be one of the prisoners of war that worked on the farm. But he was so kind."
Betty secretly corresponded with Rudi for months and he made their relationship public that Christmas when he arrived at the doorstep of Betty's home with a Christmas tree, a crate of potatoes and some rationed tea for her mother.
The gesture helped him win over the family, and in 1948 – while Rudi was still officially a prisoner of war – they were granted special permission to marry.
"When my parents finally met Rudi, they made him feel very welcome," said Betty. "My dad had been in the Royal Scots and he respected Rudi as a fellow soldier. My mum had more to say on the subject, but she warmed to him."
Former farm worker Rudi, now aged 83, was born in the former German occupied Sudetenland, and arrived in Scotland in April 1946. He served in the 12th Panzer Division Hitlerjugend (Hitler Youth) of the Waffen SS and was captured on April 23, 1945.
He said: "I can still picture Betty that first time I saw her, struggling with the baskets of potatoes. I went to help her and we hit it off. I quickly realised this was the girl for me."
The couple, who live in Haddington, celebrated their anniversary with a family party this week at Whitekirk Golf Club, East Lothian, and even received a card from the Queen. They have one child, Effie, aged 47.
Betty said: "Our secret to a happy marriage is never to let the sun go down on an argument. That, and the fact Rudi has brought me breakfast in bed every morning."
The full article contains 488 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
