MY first visit to this historic city the Romans named Eboracum, was on December 28, 1958.

The winter weather was not yet in force, nevertheless, after having just spent 18 months in the Far East aboard HMS Alert, I was feeling the cold.

I was here to cement a relationship with my girlfriend, who lived with her mother in Alan Street, Burton Stone Lane. They worked at Terry's and Rowntree's respectively. We celebrated the New Year at the Bumper Castle pub.

On my return from annual leave I was drafted to HMS Hermes, at Barrow-in-Furness. The ship was still in the process of being built. This gave us the chance to visit each other alternately on a regular basis at weekends.

All annual leave entitlement and weekends were spent exploring various location in this delightful and interesting place. The sport of kings on Knavesmire was a pleasure to see even though I didn't gamble then. I just loved horses.

I soon realised I was in love with this city, the girlfriend too, of course. During our two-year courtship and romantic interlude of pleasure, we attended dances; candlelit dinners; cinema; Clifton Bingo sessions; hand-in-hand walks; music-orientated pubs followed by a fish-and-chip supper; all inclusive of whispered endearments.

On February 20, 1960, we were married at St Luke's Parish Church, Clifton. And eight months later "her indoors" gave birth to twins.

Two more girls followed at two-yearly intervals, one born at Fulford Maternity Hospital.

Before my demob in 1965, I dreamed of settling down in York. But circumstances didn't allow that to happen.

However, almost every year we make a pilgrimage to the Ebor Festival, always staying at Greenside Clifton, because they make us feel welcome and at home.

Ray and Jess Tillett,

Moorland Close, Norwich.

Updated: 09:51 Saturday, August 27, 2005