Look back: Bon voyage to Brit wives and children of American servicemen as they set sail for a new life

On February 4, 1946, more than 2,000 wives and children of American servicemen boarded the giant Cunarder Queen Mary to join the first batch of 464 wives and 171 children who had left Southampton on board the liner Argentina on a similar voyage to New York several days earlier.

After being delayed for 24 hours due to 65mph winds that had hit Southampton the day before, the 81,000-ton Queen Mary finally slipped anchor and edged away from Southampton for New York with her consignment of 2,334 wives and children of American servicemen to make the long trip across the Atlantic.

As the 30th Group Pioneer Corps band played, scores of relatives huddled under umbrellas on the rain-lashed quayside as they waved and called goodbye to their daughters and grandchildren crowding against the liner’s deck rails.

Their relatives waved back from the boat with handkerchiefs, brightly coloured scarves and miniature Union Jacks as the tugs began to manoeuvre Queen Mary out of Ocean Dock.

Faces also peered at one another from either side of the ship’s portholes and babies were held aloft as misty-eyed relatives gazed upon each other for one last time until the time they would meet again.

As the ship’s stern moved past the quayside many relatives raced to the end of Ocean Dock to get a last glimpse of those on board, with some tying their handkerchiefs and scarves to the end of their umbrellas so that they could continue to wave off their loved one until the very last moment when the Queen Mary disappeared down Southampton Water and out of view.

Prior to this bittersweet voyage the Queen Mary, which was to be the largest ship used in the effort to repatriate war brides, had spent 15 days in Southampton’s King George V dry dock where alterations were quickly carried out to convert the ship from its last purpose as a troopship capable of carrying 15,000 servicemen to a “family ship” capable of carrying the first batch of some 1,700 GI brides and 650 children.

Modifications To facilitate the ship’s modifications an army of stewards and stewardesses helped workmen to transform about 450 cabins and two of the ship’s public rooms – the tourist smoke room and the third-class library – into bright and jolly rooms for the delight of the children, complete with cartoon murals on the walls and a huge consignment of toys.

Cabins that had previously been used to accommodate up to 15 troops at a time had been converted to house up to eight wives in comfort with some of the cabins being fitted with cots to cater for the requirements of the ship’s youngest guests.

The long tables used by the troops at mealtimes in the main dining saloon continued to be used but with the addition of attachable high chairs positioned at intervals along the tables so that the youngsters could take their meals in comfort under the supervision of their mothers.

As well as the very many new modifications to the ship Queen Mary also took stock of about 13,000 small jars of baby food, thousands of disposable nappies, feeding bottles, safety pins, talcum powder, baby oil, wash cloths, baby spoons and other essential items for the travelling mothers.

To ensure the passengers’ every need was catered for 50 extra stewardesses came out of retirement to look after the wives and their children and there were also American nurses, doctors and WAACS working alongside Cunard White Star Line stewards drafted in from Southampton and Liverpool for the crossings.

The day before the sailing the Mayor and Mayoress of Southampton, Alderman and Mrs H Vincent, were invited on board to see the ship’s alterations and to chat to some of the departing brides.

The mayor also took the opportunity to give the brides a civic send-off over the ship’s loudspeaker and wished them the best of luck and every happiness in their new life across the Atlantic.

The Mayor told the Daily Echo: “We were very much impressed by all that had been done for the comfort of the wives and children, particularly by the nursery arrangements for the little ones.

"All the women were extremely happy.”

Other passengers boarded Queen Mary for the crossing to New York, including various American UNO delegates and even Cecilla Dorothy Curtis, a 19-year-old stowaway from London, who was found hiding in a locker prior to the ship’s departure.

The transportation of GI Brides, which began on January 26, 1946 with the departure of Argentina, continued for ten months and saw about 42,000 wives and their children pass through Southampton docks on their way to their new home.

The operation came to an end on October 18, 1946 when the US transporter Henry Gibbins, carrying 102 British wives and children, became the 67th and last bride ship to sail under the official scheme.