Couple married for 67 years die within three days of each other after husband gets his war medals seven decades late

A couple who were married for 67 years died within days of each other - just after being finally handed long-deserved war medals 70 years late.

Margaret Weston, 86, died just days after her husband Harry, 95, finally received his two war service medals, seven decades after serving with the Army Catering Corps in Orkney and Shetland.

 

Then, just days after his beloved wife's sudden death, Mr Weston also passed away.  

Their only son John, 66, from Rutland, Leicestershire, said he believes it was because they couldn't stand to be apart.

 

After the war, Harry returned to his small village of Greetham to work in the family bakery where he met Margaret. The couple leave their son John, two grandchildren and four great grandchildren

He said: 'They were both delighted to receive his medals which, as it turns out he got just in the nick of time.

'Mum's death was totally unexpected and dad went three days later. They lived for each other.' 

Their family believes the news delivered to Mr Weston in Oakham's Rutland Memorial Hospital was too much to bear and he died three days later, on Saturday, March 7. 

Margaret's sister, Ella Thorpe, 70, of Bisbrooke, said: 'Margaret's death was very sudden, she got up at 5am, collapsed and died. It was quite a shock.

'We went in to see Harry and the sister at the hospital, who was marvellous, told him while we sat with him.

He took it very badly; he just crumbled when he knew what had happened.

'He definitely lost the will to live and went downhill fast.

'It was probably the kindest thing, he could never have lived without her, nor she without him.

'They had both been delighted to receive the medals.'

 

Historian Paul Bland discovered Mr Weston had never received the Defence Medal or the War Medal he was entitled to after service with Army Catering Corps in Orkney and Shetland.

Mr Weston enlisted into the Sherwood Foresters in January, 1940 and served in Scotland with the Army Catering Corps, working with four other cooks, preparing meals three times a day for a battalion of more than 700 soldiers.His uncle and father both served in the First World War and it was when Mr Bland was researching their contribution when he discovered the missing medals.

He wrote to the Ministry of Defence and requested that he be united with the medals, and to the couple's delight they arrived quickly.Mr Bland said: 'Harry was really surprised to get them after all that time, but he was very happy and Margaret was delighted.

'I'm very pleased he got his medals before he passed away.'