Second World War veteran reunited with girlfriend after 70 years

'Well, you’re still vertical', says 88-year-old British woman as she meets former boyfriend she last saw in 1944

Wartime sweethearts Norwood Thomas, 93, and Joyce Morris, 88, embrace for the first time since 1944 (9news.com.au)

A wartime couple have been reunited for Valentine’s Day after 72 years apart.

US veteran Norwood Thomas, 93, and British woman Joyce Morris, 88, dated in London in spring 1944.

But they were separated when Mr Thomas, then a 21-year-old US paratrooper, was sent to France for the D-Day invasions.

“Well, you’re still vertical”, Ms Morris said as they embraced each other in Adelaide, Australia, filmed by Australian TV channel Nine News.

“Give me a squeeze”, Mr Thomas replied.

“This is about the most wonderful thing that could have happened to me.”

After the war, Mr Thomas returned to his native US and asked Ms Morris to join him, to “make my house a home”. But she mistakenly thought he had met another woman, and stopped writing to him.

They both married other partners, and Ms Morris eventually settled in Adelaide, Australia. She separated from her husband after 30 years, while Mr Thomas’ wife died in 2001.

Ms Morris asked her son to find Mr Thomas online last year. They reconnected on Skype, laying eyes on each other for the first time since 1944.

The pair first met in London in 1944 - Ms Morris was 17 and Mr Thomas was 21 (9news.com.au)

After they gave an interview to Nine News, a crowd-funding campaign was launched to pay for the couple’s reunion in Australia. Air New Zealand gave Mr Thomas and his son free first-class flights from the US.

“I was overwhelmed when I found out she was still alive and in Australia”, he told Nine News.

Wartime couple Norwood Thomas, 93, and Joyce Morris, 88, embrace after last seeing each other in 1944 (9news.com.au)

During their Skype conversation, which lasted almost two hours, Mr Thomas told her: "If you had come to the States when I asked, we would have been together for 70 years."

“We’re going to have a wonderful fortnight”, Ms Morris said as the pair reunited in an Adelaide hotel room. They will be together for Valentine’s Day.

“It’s been a long trip so we’re hoping everything works out real nice”, Mr Thomas’ son Steve said.

“It’s been 71 years in the making.”

“I’d rather die travelling to Australia than live sitting around at home wondering ‘what if?’”, Mr Thomas said.

He admitted he had been “a little nervous” before the reunion.

Recalling how they met in 1944, Mr Thomas said: “My friend and I used to go down to London on weekends between our military duties.

"We were on the bridge at Richmond…and we looked down and saw these two girls. We went down and introduced ourselves, and the young ladies said they were going to rent a row boat.

"We suggested they rent two row boats - that one young lady rowed my friend, and that Joyce rowed me. We got two boats and took a row.”

“He was a daredevil and full of fun”, said Ms Morris.

“To find somebody who loves you and you love them, in the latter years of your life, it would be rather special, wouldn’t it?”