The Queen Mary celebrated Memorial Weekend with Salute to Service this past Saturday, May 25 to honor those who have died in service and pay homage to the Queen’s service as a troop passenger ship. What’s good Gab was invited to experience the Salute to Service event which featured activities, lectures and demonstrations that were educational and entertaining.
The Queen Mary is a legendary and timeless ship that’s rich in history, with many tales to tell from transporting troops to hosting presidents, royalty, and celebrities. And while many visit today to relive the ship’s heyday, one thing lies for sure the Queen breathes in new life every day with fresh passengers that board to stay overnight and daily visitors that embark on this now-anchored treasure to experience tours, events, and breathtaking views that make their life legendary.
What’s good Gab set sail with the Queen Mary for the Salute to Service event, and while we consider ourselves frequent visitors and even expert enthusiasts, the Queen Mary never ceases to amaze us—and we learn and experience something new with every visit!
Check out these fun and fact-filled activations we enjoyed at Salute to Service:
Military vehicle display
The Queen Mary had classic military vehicles parked at its entryway which were a fun photo-op and true eye-candy for the military buff and car enthusiast
Women during the war
The “Victory through Strength and Unity: A Women’s tale” lecture held at the Queen’s Salon by Captain James was a very informative and engaging discussion about the brave women who stepped forward during the war to hold the fort at home and support the troops. We also learned that Bob Hope was performing on the very same stage the moment that the Queen Mary received a coded message on September 1, 1943 to turn around back to New York and go to hibernation.
Soldiers aboard the Queen Mary
The Queen Mary was made to hold 2000 passengers and a crew of 1200, yet at one time the Queen Mary had over 16,000 soldiers on board.
War brides and war babies
The Queen Mary also transported war brides and war babies, including June Allen, a War Bride on the Queen Mary’s first “bride and baby voyage” in 1946. June shared how her family shared 1 egg per week for food. It was also interesting to learn that bridal dresses were made of American parachutes
Activations
Winston Churchill relived his time aboard the Queen Mary and shared newspapers, letters, and other paraphernalia about the war.
FDR (Franklin Delano Roosevelt) shared how he and Winston Churchill formed a bond to plan their war strategies and save their countries, and in essence the world.
Meet and greet tables
The Queen’s Salon was filled with interesting activations that included:
The Women’s Institute in England which taught people to preserve and grow food.
The American Red Cross, which shared about the women working alongside nurses and doctors as nurses’ aides volunteering in hospitals during war times.
The Women’s Army Corps which worked as telephone operators during WWII
Overall, The Queen Mary’s Salute to Service was a wonderful event for the entire family that was educational and entertaining. And Commodore Everette Hoard is always a gracious host and willing to chat it up with guests to share his knowledge and stories about the Queen!
Head on over to The Queen Mary to see the entire lineup of upcoming exciting events!
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