Yvonne marries her ‘prince’
AS SKIPINNISH played the opening chords of Billy Irving’s Indian prison composition First Dance, he whirled his wife Yvonne round a Paisley dance floor at their wedding reception.
It was a fairytale beginning to a marriage which would have seemed impossible five months ago for the Connel man, as the Chennai Six entered their fourth year in captivity.
Before the day came, last Saturday, ‘courageous’ campaigner Yvonne had battled to free her ex-paratrooper fiancé from a prison in the former city of Madras, after he was wrongly convicted as one of the Chennai Six.
Speaking at the reception, after a wedding service in front of about 140 family and friends at St Peter’s Church in Paisley, Billy, 37, his voice cracking with emotion, said: ‘In my time in India, Yvonne fought so hard. Yvonne has changed my world since I met her.’
The couple met just after Hogmanay 2011 on the Isle of Barra, where Billy had been piping at the Castlebay hotel.
‘As soon as I saw him, I thought, “I want to marry you”,’ Yvonne told The Oban Times reporter, as she completed her wedding preparations at her sister Jacquelynn’s flat.
‘I am so glad the day has finally come. I always knew it would happen,’ added Yvonne.
In the following seven years, Yvonne proved her love time and time again both before and after Billy became a pirate hunter, eventually joining five other ex-British servicemen and a crew of Estonian, Ukrainian and Indian nationals on AdvanFort’s ship Seaman Guard Ohio.
The nightmare began in October 2013, as the vessel plied the Indian Ocean protecting cargo ships from Somali pirates.
An Indian coastguard claimed the vessel had strayed 1.2 nautical miles from international waters into Indian territory and everyone on board was arrested.
Despite having all the correct paperwork for the 35 assault rifles and 5,000 rounds of ammunition on board, the former soldiers were charged with possessing illegal weapons.
In the next four years, Yvonne galvanised support for Billy’s release, organised an online petition of nearly half a million signatures, met politicians in Downing Street, appeared on television and made numerous trips to India.
Until the 2016 trial, which saw Billy sentenced to five years in prison, he was held on house arrest and during one of these visits their son William, three, was conceived.
While under house arrest and thinking about the day he would eventually marry Yvonne, Billy used an online designing programme to amalgamate the Irving and MacHugh tartans.
Later in prison, the musician, who learned to play the pipes while at Campbeltown Grammar School, managed to get hold of a guitar and composed First Dance.
Back in 2011, the love-struck pair knew nothing of what was to come.
Yvonne said: ‘We both lived in Glasgow at the time but there was no contact for four weeks. We met again by chance at a Skerryvore gig in Glasgow and afterwards became inseparable. Billy asked me out to the Park Bar. He said that it was just a drink but any girl would class that as a date.
‘When Billy first became involved in maritime security, I thought he was making it up.
‘He was away for about two months and when he came back he took me to France to meet his parents.
‘We moved in together and, because Billy loves Argyll, we moved to Connel just before his fateful trip.’
Billy said: ‘My military background has helped me through but I was most concerned about Yvonne and William as I could not control anything of what they faced.
‘In prison, we received cards and letters, from friends and family, that meant so much to us.
‘There are some people in the similar or worse situations who have no-one backing them up.’
Preparations for the wedding have been extensive, including Yvonne’s mother, Janette, using Billy’s design for his wedding outfit, her grandson William’s trews and waistcoat, and dresses for bridesmaids Jacquelynn and Lindsay.
Sheena Martin, from Campbeltown, made a traditional three-tier cake with sponge layers of coconut and lime and passion fruit and a bottom layer of traditional fruit.
As guests arrived at the church, including 28 from Kintyre, they were handed orders of service by ushers from Campbeltown, Shaun McDaniel and Iain Martin.
Outside, as Yvonne stepped out of a Bentley in bright spring sunshine, a pair of Campbeltown pipers, Mark McCormick, 26, and Alan McCormick, 24, both taught by Billy, played.
Janette gave Yvonne away and best men were Billy’s brothers, former marine Jamie, 42, and Colin, 41, who is a Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers’ sergeant-major.
The service was conducted by Canon Edward Cameron with readings from Katie Mary MacNeill and Julia MacIssac.
As Yvonne and Billy left the church, the pipers played Mairi’s Wedding. After a drinks reception in the hall next to the church, the whole party walked down the road to the St Peter’s Working Men’s Club where a meal included choices of baked chicken or steak.
Speeches by Yvonne’s brother Phil MacHugh – a former BBC Gaelic presenter – Billy and his best men were made before the meal.
Among many reminiscences Phil recounted how Yvonne, a Gaelic speaker, once told Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov he was an a ******* in Gaelic and he wished her all the best in Russian.
Phil said: ‘When Billy got a major starring role in a Bollywood movie, the true hero was my sister.
‘Yvonne showed courage, willpower, strength and determination to bring back Billy.’
He added that Yvonne’s strong stance was a result of their upbringing by Janette who taught them to ‘stand strong and never give up’.
‘Yvonne, I am so proud of you, you look absolutely stunning,’ Phil said. ‘Billy, I am delighted to welcome you into our family.’
Writing to friends on Monday Yvonne said: ‘On Saturday, I married my prince and can honestly say it was the best day of my life.’