World War II Veteran reunites with Wartime Girlfriend in Australia after 72yrs

World War II Long Lost Loves Reunite

By Karl Stefanovic
Published on Feb 10, 2016

A US World War II veteran and his wartime sweetheart have had a heartfelt face-to-face reunion in Adelaide, 72 years after they were separated by the war.
Norwood Thomas first met Joyce Durrant in London, when he was a 21-year-old soldier and she was just 17 years old.
They dated for months, but their romance was interrupted when he was called to Normandy in 1944.
Ms Durrant later moved to Adelaide, and the pair lost touch.
Last year, Mr Thomas and Ms Durrant reconnected via online voice chat service Skype, and later reminisced on the TODAY Show.
A face-to-face reunion had initially seemed beyond the pensioners’ means, but airline AirNZ offered to sponsor Mr Thomas’ flight from Virginia to Adelaide after hearing their story.
In a bid to rekindle their connection, Mr Thomas accepted the offer.
Mr Thomas arrived at Adelaide today, and his reunion with Ms Durrant was captured on camera.
Aged 93 and 88 respectively, the couple embraced after decades apart.
“Here we are! Well you’re still vertical,” Ms Durrant said as Mr Thomas hugged her.
The couple were filmed talking at length and holding hands, and are expected to spend the next few days making up for lost time.