ON THE day The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh celebrated their golden wedding anniversary, Wirral couple Bob and Thea Bird, of Wallasey, celebrated 55 years of marriage, their Emerald wedding anniversary. Like the Royal couple, they are cousins.

Bob is probably Merseyside's oldest working press photographer, still working freelance for local newspapers

The couple fell in love in WWII, when Thea, nee Neilson, served with the fire brigade, Blue Watch Allerton, in Liverpool. Bob was on leave as a photographer assigned to the RAF. After the war they settled on Merseyside to raise a family.

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