“I shall never forget that sight … On September 26, 1934, when among hundreds of thousand of others, I was privileged to see the launch of the Queen Mary.”
From an article by Hughie Green in the Daily Record.
There was great excitement on the day of the launch but sadness too, because you knew there was going to be a pay-off. Everybody said, “That’s our bread and butter away, we could do with another ship like that to keep everyone working"
The shipyard workers were allowed a break to watch launches. How long you got depended on how busy the yard was - I remember watching a ship move into water, and almost straight away hearing caulkers working on the next ship
What’s the strangest souvenir you’ve got? Would you have kept this cake of soap? Were you at the launch of the Queen Mary? Or maybe you’ve been involved in more recent launches?
What’s the biggest event you’ve been part of in Glasgow?
The shops all cashed in on the Queen Mary launch - there was Queen Mary everything.
Glasgow was in gala mood for the visit of the King and Queen. Even though the highlight of the occasion was centred on Clydebank and the new liner, the city regarded the Royal procession as something peculiarly its own.
