WHEN David Wilkinson lost his treasured wedding ring in the garden of his York home, he moved heaven and a lot of earth to find it.

Hours of sweat and spadework failed to turn it up, and when even a metal detector couldn't do the job, he resigned himself to getting a new ring.

That was 26 years ago, but David, a retired doctor, still couldn't believe his bad luck when, this week, he was forced to sacrifice his second wedding ring.

Casualty workers had to remove it from his finger after he sliced his fingers while making breakfast for his wife, Hazel, to celebrate their 36th wedding anniversary.

Driving home to Husthwaite, where the couple live, David must have wondered whether it was worth the expense of getting yet another ring.

But no sooner had they got in the house when the Wilkinsons received a phone call that left them almost speechless.

The caller was a former work colleague, Dr Katherine Jennings, who now owns their old house in Osbaldwick.

She was ringing to congratulate them on their anniversary.

David said: "We were quite puzzled about the fact that she knew about our anniversary as we could not remember ever having told her the date.

"Katherine said to me: 'I bet you don't know how I knew that it was your anniversary.'

"She added that she had just been digging in her garden and found a ring, still shiny, and inscribed 'Hazel and David 30/6/65', and knew whose ring it was."

David added: "I've a great marriage and to get my ring back after all these years is astonishing. When I'm able to wear a wedding ring again, it will definitely be the original one!"

Updated: 12:26 Wednesday, July 11, 2001