Norah Ellender met Australian soldier James Creech in April 1918 at England’s Clandon Park house which was being used as a military hospital. At the time she was a nurse tasked with his care. 

They fell in love and, after a whirlwind romance, were married in September of that year in Norah’s hometown, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Clandon Park is now a National Trust property. 

In recent years Ms Magee, her mother Norma and sister Margaret have all travelled to Clandon Park to see the place where Norah and James fell in love. 

“They were very welcoming and quite excited we had come so far to see the house,” Ms Magee said.

After the war the love-struck couple moved to Young where James had worked as a blacksmith prior to enlisting. A couple of years later they moved to Bathurst.

Ms Magee remembers her grandmother as a confident and capable woman with a lifelong involvement in St John Ambulance. 

James joined up in 1915. He was part of the 3rd Battalion, Australian Imperial Force, one of the first Anzacs. 

He first served at Gallipoli from where he had to be evacuated after becoming seriously ill. He recovered in England, and then re-joined the 3rd Battalion in France in 1916, participating in the Battle of the Somme where he suffered a gunshot wound on December 29. 

After another recovery in England he once again returned to the 3rd Battalion, this time to take part in the 3rd Battle of Ypres, better known as Passchendaele.

He stayed with his battalion until April 15, 1918, when he came under artillery fire while leading a patrol. 

Lying on the ground, James put his arm out to comfort an inexperienced soldier unused to heavy fire. An artillery shell burst, killing all those present, except James. He suffered serious shrapnel wounds to his arm and a compound fracture to his elbow.

He came to Clandon Park for treatment on April 25, 1918. Early in 1919 the couple set sail for Australia aboard the first ‘bride ship’, RMS Osterley.

Due to his wounds, James was not able to resume work as a blacksmith. Instead he went to work for the NSW railways. 

Ms Magee said the couple’s love affair lasted another 20 years until 1939, when the shrapnel embedded in James’ arm turned septic. He died on September 17 at the age of 47.

Her brother Ian began liaising with the Trust at Clandon Park earlier this year and they became interested in Norah and James’ story, which is now featured on the British National Trust website.

Over the years Clandon Park grew in the minds of their grandchildren into an almost mythical place where their grandparents’ great romance began.

And it was a great romance, Ms Magee said. Norah never remarried. She died at the age of 94 after 45 years as a war widow.