Nigeria, May 7 -- On 7 January 1931, a society wedding that attracted the attention of the press took place in Aba, Eastern Nigeria. Two years earlier, the region had been in the news due to the turn of events that shook the country, but on this day, all roads led to the town.

The Lagos-based Nigerian Pioneer newspaper described the event as "a society and popular wedding of an unprecedented character and importance."

The celebrated marital union which took place at St Michael's Church was between Irene Victoria Liverpool, the daughter of Mr JB Liverpool, a retired Jamaican school master, and Charles Adebayo Howells, the son of Rt Reverend Adelakun Howells.

The bride's father had worked as a teacher in Nigeria, while the groom's father...