Moray 'secret family' woman celebrates Diamond Wedding
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A Moray woman with an incredible secret family history has just celebrated 60 years of marriage.
Following a remarkable twist of fate Anne Speake suddenly learned in 2019 that she had four sisters and a brother.
Their existence had been completely unknown to Anne who'd previously gone through life believing herself an only child.
More of that later. But, first, here's the story of Anne and the man she's known since the age of just 15.
She and husband Bryan first met in 1956.
A Yorkshireman, he'd arrived in Stevenage, the new town outside London where she grew up, to do what was called a student apprenticeship.
After Bryan completed his studies in electronic microwave engineering, the couple married on August 26, 1961.
During a spell of glorious sunny weather, they then set off on honeymoon to Scotland.
Their mode of transport – a red bubble car – succeeded in turning more than a few heads.
Based near Inverness, they travelled far and wide through the Cairngorms, visiting Balmoral and attending the Braemar Gathering.
In the days long before the road bridge's construction, they also caught the ferry to Skye.
Anne recalls: "The bubble car did 80 miles to the gallon and the whole trip cost us £1 and 10 shillings in petrol.
"I remember going up a really steep hill at Glen Coe and, because it was so hot, there were all these other cars conked out at the side of the road.
"But our bubble car just made this strange 'phut phut phut' noise and kept going."
Anne would later learn that, in addition to having a secret family, she was actually Scottish.
But these revelations were still many years in the future.
The honeymoon was her first ever time north of the border and she describes herself as "completely falling in love" with Scotland during the trip.
When Bryan had an offer of a job in Edinburgh in 1969 the couple jumped at the opportunity.
They subsequently moved to Elgin in 1974, before moving to their present home in Kingston about 20 years ago.
Their recent diamond wedding anniversary saw them celebrating at The Mansefield hotel in Elgin, with sons Andrew and Stuart, plus daughter-in-law Karen.
They also tucked into a cake made by grand-daughter Jessica who's a patisserie chef, and received the best wishes of their other son Michael and their daughter Moira.
In addition, messages of congratulation were sent from the other side of the Atlantic.
Anne's startling revelation back in 2019 came about after her son Andrew took a DNA test with a company called 23andMe.
By complete coincidence a young woman in Canada did the same thing with the same company.
The results put them in contact with each other.
At the age of 77, Anne's secret history suddenly came to light.
As well as four long-lost sisters and a brother, she has no fewer than 35 nieces and nephews, living in Canada as well as England and Scotland.
Her new-found family told Anne what her mum had never been able to bring herself to do.
Anne's mother was a nurse during the Second World War.
Working in London during the horrors of the Blitz she had met a married man from Scotland on leave from the Army.
The pair began a brief affair and Anne was the result.
Not only was her dad Scottish, her ancestors were from the North East.
Her great-grandfather was from Turriff, while her great grand-mother was from Brechin.
Anne said: "It's weird but I felt an immediate affinity for Scotland when I first came here on my honeymoon.
"I've always loved living here
"To find out years later that, in addition to having such a huge family, I'm actually part Scottish was just beyond words."
Related article: DNA test fluke unites Moray woman (77) with secret family
