More than 70 years have passed since Al Jarrel and Diane Cox first set eyes on each other at an amusement arcade in Sheringham. 

And now the couple have made a nostalgic trip back to the place they fell in love.

Mr Jarrel, 90, and Mrs Jarrel, 88, now live in Manchester in New Hampshire, USA, but they have always kept the north Norfolk coast in their hearts. 

David Jarrel, who lives in Cromer and is one of the couple's four children, said: “The amazing thing, for me, is that they’ve managed to stand the test of time. It’s a testament of their love for each other.”

Al came from a “dustbowl farming community” in Mississippi and joined the US Army aged 17.

North Norfolk News: Al and Diane Jarrel on their wedding day in 1953Al and Diane Jarrel on their wedding day in 1953 (Image: Supplied)

After a stint in California - when he stood guard on the Golden Gate Bridge - he was deployed to Norfolk, where he and his comrades would undertake live firing exercises at Weybourne on what is now the site of the Muckleburgh Military Collection.

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David said: “They camped just over the road and the army trucked them into various towns.

"My dad and the others would always go to Sheringham, and in 1952 he met mum at the amusements arcade. 

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“They were married at Beeston Regis church on May 25, 1953, and then I was born.”

The growing family relocated to the US and then went back and forth to Germany a few times before Al got his orders to go and fight in Vietnam, where he served for 12 months. 

North Norfolk News: Al and Diane Jarrel, revisiting the church they were married 70 years ago in Beeston RegisAl and Diane Jarrel, revisiting the church they were married 70 years ago in Beeston Regis (Image: Supplied)

During this time the rest of the family had to move out of military accommodation in the US and returned to Norfolk, but when Al had finished his service they again relocated to the US. Al began a second career in the civil service, working in communications. 

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They had three sons and a daughter, and now have six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. 

David said: “Throughout all this time the one constant for them has been Sheringham, and they continued to come back.

"My dad said it’s the nearest to what he would call a home base that he’s ever had, because since the age of 17 he’s been travelling all over the world.

"They’ve literally been globetrotting most of their lives.”