A partnership — what a perfect wedding present

father of a grown-up family while I was still a young man, because when I brought the subject up with Helen she said yes, she’d like to marry me and we set our eyes on an early date. She seemed surprised at first — maybe she had the same opinion of me as Siegfried and expected it would take me a few years to get off the ground.

I can’t remember much about our wedding: my strongest memory is of Siegfried, standing just behind me booming ‘Amen’ at regular intervals throughout the service — the first time I’d ever noticed a best man doing this.

As we were driving away past Skeldale House, Helen grabbed my arm. ‘Look!’ she cried excitedly. ‘Look over there!’

Underneath Siegfried’s brass plate, which always hung slightly askew on the iron railings, was a brand new one. It had a black background and bold white letters which read: ‘J. Herriot MRCVS, Veterinary Surgeon.’ It was screwed very straight on to the metal.

I looked back down the street to see if I could see Siegfried, but we had already said our goodbyes. Thank-yous would have to wait.

I drove out of Darrowby with a feeling of immense pride. I knew what that plate meant: that I was a partner, somebody with a real place in the world.

It meant, too, that after all the trials and tribulations, I had been accepted by my adopted county of Yorkshire — a truly humbling and wonderful thought. I could not have asked for a better wedding present.

ALL Creatures Great And Small: The Classic Memoirs Of A Yorkshire Country Vet by James Herriot (Pan Books, £9.99). To order a copy for £7.49 (25 per cent discount) visit mailbookshop.co.uk or call 0844 571 0640. P&P is free on orders over £15. The offer is valid until September 8, 2017.