A SOLDIER serving in Iraq flew home to East Lancashire - and met his wife-to-be after stopping off for a quick drink.

Richard Smith, 30, met Katherine, 34, on his first weekend back from a six-month tour of duty.

And now, after their first meeting in October 2005, Richard, a Coldstream Guard based in Windsor, and Katherine have married.

Although they lived less than a mile apart in Darwen for years, their paths never crossed until their meeting.

Katherine said: "Richard tells me that, in the 13 years he has been all over the world, from everyone he has met, he fell in love with a woman from his home town."

In a twist of fate, Katherine's brother, Lance Corporal Alex Fraenzel, 23, from Darwen, had already met Richard in an air base in Iraq. Lance Cpl Fraenzel, a paratrooper from the Parachute Regiment, based in Colchester, was sent to the airbase in preparation to fight in Iraq, while Richard was preparing to leave.

Days after meeting Alex, Richard headed home and stopped off at the Millstone Hotel, The Circus, Darwen, for a drink.

Katherine also stopped off at the Millstone Hotel the same afternoon. She said: "I had gone into the pub with my friend, Louise Fowles, and Richard was in there. We had never gone into the pub on Sunday, but we did that day.

"Louise knew Richard, but Richard and I had never met. He was telling me stories about his time in Iraq and somehow we stumbled on my brother.

"Richard said he had met him briefly in Iraq. He'd asked Alex where the toilets were. Then Richard started reassuring me that he would be fine in Iraq.

"We hit it off from there. I went down to Windsor to see him when we were getting to know each other."

Alex gave Katherine away at her wedding at Mitton Hall, in Whalley.

Richard is currently preparing to leave with the Coldstream Regiment for Afghanistan, in September.