Hans (second left), Nina (fourth left) and Harm Kuijper (second right), from Holland, present Bill Sowerby and his wife, Cath, with a framed photograph of the Normandy beaches. Also on the picture are Mrs. Sowerby’s brother Donald (far right) and his wife, Kath, (far left).
 

ON a bright winter’s day in February, 1948, Cath and Bill Sowerby were married in the Free Church of Scotland in Fort William.
They spent their honeymoon in and around Newcastle-upon-Tyne before returning to live in Appleby, where they still live, and where they have become two highly respected and much-admired citizens of the town, due to their involvement in many aspects of life in the town.
This month, they celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary with 150 family members and friends. These included children Hugh, who lives in Majorca, Moira, June, Bruce, Fiona and Finlay. The couple also have 17 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
However, the Sowerbys were amazed when three surprise guests — Hans and Harm Kuiper and Harm’s wife Nina — walked into the room to join the celebration at Appleby’s Tufton Arms Hotel. Hans and Harm first met Bill, a Normandy veteran, in 1996 at a reunion, and they have been firm friends ever since. The Sowerbys have visited them and their families in Holland and the Kuipers have visited England several times, always managing to fit in a trip to Appleby.

Bill, who was born and bred in Appleby, joined the Army in 1943, serving in the famous Scottish Regiment, the Gordon Highlanders. However, after spending time in the Ardennes he was found to be suffering from trench foot, which is brought on by long periods in the trenches, and he was sent home for hospital treatment.
Bill had a very eventful time in the Army and was awarded nine service medals, but perhaps his most treasured is the award he received two years ago when he was presented with a certificate and medal of the Ordre National de la Legion D’Honneur, the second highest award that the French can bestow.
In 1946, Bill was posted to the Shetlands and Orkneys and there his whole life took a decisive turn when he met young Cath MacPherson, who was working in the NAAFI at the Royal Naval repair base. Their budding romance suffered a severe set back as Bill was then posted to Inverness — but, by a sheer coincidence, Cath was also posted there.

By the time Bill was demobilised in 1947, Cath had left the NAAFI, but she rejoined to continue working in Inverness. The couple kept in touch by letter and were married in 1948.
Cath, who was born in Oban in 1928, married Bill the day before her 20th birthday and Bill was 22 years old on the wedding day. The couple moved to Appleby to live with Bill’s family at the Red Lion, Bongate, and have moved home only once in their 60 years together — that was in 1951 when they left the Red Lion to move to their present home in Thanet Terrace.
Bill was a driver in the family haulage business and over the years has driven goods vehicles for several companies — he was doing Continental deliveries for McCulla, of Ireland, before he retired.
Kath became one of Appleby’s best-known faces as she worked for more than 30 years in the Copper Kettle cafe and restaurant in the town centre and also worked for some time in the town’s Tufton Arms.
The couple have always played a major part in the community life of Appleby and after their daughter Margaret died of breast cancer they decided to raise funds for cancer research.
Bill is the long-time chairman of Appleby Evergreen Club and has always played a major part in the area’s Normandy Veterans’ Association, of which is secretary. He is also a past-chairman of the Appleby branch of the North of England Cancer Research Fund.
Cath is also involved with the Evergreen Club, Cancer Research and the Normandy Veterans and she and Bill attend many reunions of the association at home and abroad. She has also served as secretary of the women’s section of the Westmorland county branch of the Royal British Legion.In spite of their commitments to these organisations, over the years the couple have also managed to enjoy touring in their caravan and have made many return visits to Fort William to see Cath’s sister, Peggy, and brother, Donald, and his wife.

The Sowerbys received more than 200 cards congratulating them on their diamond wedding anniversary — pride of place going to the card from the Queen. They also received numerous bouquets and presents, which included a set of three beautiful photographs in a silver frame showing the beaches at Normandy where Bill and the Allies’ Expeditionary Force landed during the war, from their Dutch friends.

At the party, the couple, who took to the dance floor to do the anniversary waltz, received a superb anniversary cake from their family. Cath said she and Bill had been overwhelmed by everyone’s generosity, and they had enjoyed a wonderful day — the surprise guests from Holland had made it a memorable occasion.

The celebrations continued the following day when Cath and Bill took their Dutch friends on a guided tour of the Lake District.
Bill said: “We’ll have to go some to ensure our 70th anniversary is every bit as good as this one.”