“It just hit me” – that was the reaction of an RAF veteran when he first met his wife-to-be 55 years ago, and thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Bert and Jean Ryder celebrated their emerald anniversary last month at the Royal Star and Garter home in Surbiton.

Mr Ryder took up the tale over coffee this week.

He said: “When I was in the air force I was trained as a wireless operator and mechanic.

“When I came out in 1950 I joined the police, and I used to do a lot of repairs for the chaps when their radios packed up.

“I was asked to go round to a police flat. It turned out Jean and [my colleague’s] wife knew each other from their home town.

“I just walked in, not thinking, and there was this extremely beautiful young woman sitting there. It just hit me. I went from there.”

He did not hang around – the couple were married just six months later.

Mrs Ryder, a former Wandsworth social worker who had two daughters from a previous marriage, said: “It was all magical really.

“The children took to him straight away. I can remember them saying, ‘You’re going to be our real, real, real daddy now’.”

On achieving the 55-year milestone, she added: “We’ve never had a row. We respect each other.”

Mrs and Mrs Ryder went on to have two sons together.

Mr Ryder added: “We agree to differ on some things, of course, but we always settled things quite happily without any problems.”