London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Aug 28, 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

0:00
0:00
Close
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
×