Keith Kirby (left in the photograph) and Ivor Glyn Stephens, always know as Glyn, were both members of the Mackenzie crew, whose aircraft would crash on the edge of Bourn airfield on Black Thursday.
That night, Glyn’s place on the crew had been taken by Billy Colson, who would lose his life in the crash. Amongst the four survivors was Keith Kirby. The Medical Officer at Bourn diagnosed that he had internal injuries and shock, and arranged for him to be transferred to the specialist RAF Hospital Ely, where he was discovered to be suffering from a fractured spine.
He had evidently made a good recovery by the time of his wedding, a couple of years later, as he is standing straight and does not need to use a stick. He is the bridegroom on the right and Glyn is the bridegroom on the left. They had both survived the war and Black Thursday.
Glyn married Keith’s sister and Keith married Margery, her best friend. Brother and sister are standing in the centre of the photograph.
Glyn’s daughter Andrea wrote to Wyn Harrison in 2017, explaining the details of the double wedding. All four had met up for a drink one evening, and the rest was history.
With thanks to Andrea Smith and Wyn Harrison.