But he was playing to the same beat at her passing out parade.

Band Corporal Adrian Imm joined in the celebrations as his wife Deborah marched at her passing out parade.

The 30-year-old member of the Band of her Majesty’s Royal Marines Portsmouth, provided musical accompaniment to the ceremony as part of the marching band.

Adrian, a clarinettist, said: “I would much rather have been involved in the parade than watch from the stand.

“We probably won’t get the chance to be on parade together in future.”

Deborah, 28, who also hails from Axminster, completed her initial training at HMS Raleigh, Cornwall.

The couple met at the The Woodroffe School in Lyme Regis and have been married for seven years.

Deborah always wanted to be in the Royal Navy, like her dad but, for one reason or another, previously joined the Royal Marines’ the Band Service instead.

She said said: “With my three girls now in school, I felt it was the perfect time to re-join the lifestyle I have missed.

“I have chosen to be a dental nurse, because I wanted to learn something new and because I thought it would fit in better with my family commitments. “

Deborah will now undergo a 14 week specialist training course at the Defence Dental Services Training establishment in Aldershot, Hampshire.