American World War II veteran reunites with wartime girlfriend in Australia

TRUE love never dies, and American war veteran Norwood Thomas is living proof of that, after travelling to Australia to reunite with his long lost love.

A WORLD War II veteran from the United States embraced his wartime girlfriend in Australia in their reunion after more than 70 years apart, in what he described as the “most wonderful thing that could have happened to me.”

Norwood Thomas, 93, and Joyce Morris, 88, laughed as they wrapped their arms around each other on Wednesday after Thomas flew from Virginia to Adelaide to reconnect with his long-lost love.

Norwood Thomas holds up a photo of Joyce Morris at his home in the United States. Thomas embarked on a 16,000km journey to Australia to visit Morris. Picture: Bill Tiernan/AP.

In each others arms again. Picture: Ten Eyewitness news.

Steve Thomas, his son, told The Advertiser that the trip was long and demanding and that Ms Morris was 18 the last time she and his father met.

“This is about the most wonderful thing that could have happened to me,” Norwood Thomas said, in a reunion broadcast on Channel 10’s The Project.

“Good,” Ms Morris replied with a laugh. “We’re going to have a wonderful fortnight.”

Morris was a 17-year-old British girl and Thomas was a 21-year-old paratrooper when they first met in London shortly before D-Day. After the war, he returned to the US.

The pair wrote letters to each other, and Mr Thomas asked her to come to the US to marry him. But somehow Ms Morris misunderstood and thought he’d found someone else, so she stopped writing.

The two eventually married other people. Mr Thomas’ wife died in 2001; Morris divorced her husband after 30 years.

How Norwood Thomas and Joyce Morris looked when they first met in London during World War II. Picture: Channel 10

Norwood Thomas would talk with Joyce Morris via Skype from his home in Virginia Beach, while she was in Australia. Picture: Bill Tiernan/ AP.

Last year, Ms Morris asked one of her sons to look for Mr Thomas online, and they found his name featured in an article about D-Day that ran in The Virginian-Pilot newspaper.

The pair then reconnected via Skype.

During their online conversation, Ms Morris told him how she kept a photo of him and said “good morning” to it every day, according to The Advertiser.

“The only one big problem is I can’t take you in my arms and give you a squeeze,” he had told her at the time.

After their story went public, hundreds of people made donations to help fund Mr Thomas’ trip to Australia from the US.

The two are planning to spend Valentine’s Day together.

“It’s been 71 years in the making and it’s been a long trip ... three days ... so we’re hoping everything works out really nice and we’re really looking forward to it,” son Steve Thomas told The Advertiser.

“Yes I’m sure there will be [tears] ... especially when we leave,” he added.