Crawley couple happily married for 75 years

Len and Nora Boxall, who live in Walstead Court in Southgate, married on August 9 1941. Both born in London, they moved to Crawley in 1956 and have been here ever since.

They met when Len, then serving in the Capital in the Second World War, went for a walk in Hyde Park with a friend. They stopped at a bandstand to listen to the music and Len’s friend started to talking to a girl; her friend with her was Nora. Romance blossomed from there.

Grand-daughter Amanada said: “They would always arrange to meet under the clock at Marble Arch and if Len was ever more than 15 minutes late it meant he had been called on duty and Nora was to go home.

“Len’s service lasted from 1939 to 1945 when he left. They didn’t know how long the relationship would last as Len was then sent to North Africa and eventually was held as a prisoner of war in a camp.

“They have letters they wrote to each other which are so intimate and express love in a way I have never seen.”

Nora was a dress maker and a superb cake maker before marrying Len and then becoming a housewife. However she continued to make dolls, cakes and dresses from home.

Len left the army in 1945 and became a factory worker for MSE. Medical Scientific Equipment. He worked there for 20 years and took retirement at 65 then joined a company as an apprentice superman then properly retiring one year later.

Amanda also asked them what their secret was. She said: “Love. They have done absolutely everything together from day one. Looking after the family, holidays, games but most of all Love.

“They have only ever been apart in the last 60 years on a handful of occasions and that has been when one or other has been in hospital.

“My grandad’a last words to me were, ‘The war was awful and I experienced some horrendous things but if it wasn’t for the war I would never have met your Gran so I must be grateful for everything the war did to me’.”

The couple, now aged 97 and 96, wed in their early twenties and had four children. They now have 14 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren. Some of them celebrated with them last week.