Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Saturday, May 31, 2025

'We got married after being mixed up as babies'

'We got married after being mixed up as babies'

Some couples believe meeting "the one" is written in the stars.

But Lanarkshire couple Jim and Margaret Mitchell have more reason than most to believe in fate.

An accident after birth brought them together for the first time, before a chance meeting nearly two decades later reunited them for life.

This weekend they will toast 50 years of marriage and the series of coincidences that ensured they got together.

The mothers of Jim and Margaret Mitchell should have known something was different about their newborns from the start.

They were born at Lennox Castle Hospital in Lennoxtown on 15 and 17 September 1952 - when a maternity unit mix-up saw nurses briefly hand the babies to the wrong mothers.

Margaret, who turned 70 on Thursday, said: "Both our mums were called Margaret and the names caused confusion with the midwives so we were handed to each other's mums."

This happened in the days before name wristbands, but the mistake was realised within a few minutes by the babies' mothers and they were returned to their proper families.

Margaret and her mother, also Margaret, just weeks after her first chance meeting with her future husband


Jim went off with his parents to live in Arden, south of Glasgow, and Margaret was taken home to to Knightswood, in the north-west of the city where they lived with family.

Soon after, Margaret's parents finally got their own house in Eastwood, Renfrewshire, only a 30 minute walk away from Jim.

By the time the pair reached 18, fate intervened again.

Retired engineer Jim said: "My friend was getting married and he had his reception back at his flat in Queen's Park in Glasgow.

Jim had long hair and was "different" from boys Margaret had dated


"It was Margaret's friend Pat that married my friend David. That's when we met for the first time.

"We got chatting at the reception. I thought she looked fabulous in her lovely mini dress and so I summoned up the courage to ask her out.

"I was so pleased when she agreed because she was the best-looking girl in the room."

Within two months of seeing each other, the mums started to suspect that there was something familiar about the story.

Margaret said: "It was mainly Jim's mum. Because our birthdays were so close together and my name was Rafferty and my dad was the policeman, she just clicked after all those little things came together."

Jim and Margaret Mitchell on their wedding day exactly 50 years ago


The two mothers eventually met for the first time since they swapped their babies back in the maternity ward and marvelled at the million-to-one romance.

Jim and Margaret were married in 1972 and now live in East Kilbride. They are retired and have two sons and a teenage granddaughter and grandson.

On Friday, the couple were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary on the day in between their birthdays.

Margaret, a former sales executive, believes that if it wasn't for coincidence, she may never have chosen to go on a date with Jim.

"He was different to boys I was going out with. He had really long hair, but he was kind and thoughtful and totally different," she said.

Starting their day with breakfast in bed, they told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme about their secrets for a long happy marriage.

Margaret said: "It's just about getting on with each other and taking each day as it is."

Jim added: "You know, you have your ups and downs, but the best thing about falling out is falling in again."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
Head of Gaza Aid Group Resigns Amid Humanitarian Concerns
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Denmark Increases Retirement Age to 70, Setting a European Precedent
Iranian Director Jafar Panahi Wins Palme d'Or at Cannes
Israeli Airstrike Kills Nine Children of Gaza Doctor
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki Erupts Again, Spewing Ash Cloud over Flores Island
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
Michael Jordan to Serve as Analyst for NBA Games
Senate Democrats Move to Censure Trump Over Qatar Jet Gift
Hamas Releases Last Living US Hostage from Gaza Amid Ongoing Conflict
×