Lucky readers we sent on Queen Mary in 1936
(in case they wanted to marry a millionaire)
THE Queen Mary was one of the greatest ships ever to sail the seas, and eight lucky Scots were on board for her maiden voyage . . . thanks to the Sunday Post!
The Post was behind the four men and four women enjoying the trip of a lifetime after winning a competition in the paper.
The information came to light after we ran an article about the 80th anniversary of the grand old ship’s first sailing, from Southampton to New York on May 27, 1936.
After reading the feature Turriff man Robin Sutherland wrote to tell us that his father, Bertie, had been on the voyage, along with seven other Scots who won the prize.
To clinch their place in history the Post printed a long list under the title “Why I Want To Make The Trip”. Readers had to put an ‘ X’ next to the reasons that applied to them.
The possibilities are a hoot – and very much of their time. They include such gems as:
“As a housewife I’d love to have my meals made for me, get up when I like and do what I like (within reason).”
“As a talkie fan I should be interested to meet a real American on his home ground.”
“I might meet and marry a millionaire.”
“My job demands hustle. I want to know what America can teach me.”
“I have travelled by train, submarine and aeroplane but never on a liner.”
“I am a professional footballer. This would be the ideal start to my close season.”
“I’m a Glasgow man. I’ve never holidayed further than Doon the Clyde.”
The lucky winners were treated to a trip like no other.
On May 22 they received a letter from the Editor wishing “Bon Voyage from all the staff”, along with a £5 note for “tips and incidental expenses”. To put that in perspective, at that time The Sunday Post cost 2d, so £5 could have bought 600 copies of the paper!
They travelled by rail, with the necessary sleeper fares paid to get them from the far flung reaches of Scotland to Southampton – an epic journey in itself for Bertie Sutherland who was coming from Golspie, 50 miles nor th of Inverness.
On board the ship they travelled in Tourist ( Second) Class and once across the Pond were put up in a hotel in New York as well as having sightseeing tours laid on.
Bertie was 26 at the time of the voyage, and was a clerk in his father’s sanitary engineering business.
The Queen Mary experience may have given him a taste for adventure, because he went on to race in six Monte Carlo rallies, winning the Autosport Trophy for highest placed pr ivately- entered Br itish competitor in the 1950s. He was awarded an MBE in 2000.
Among his fellow travellers, courtesy of the Sunday Post, were Amos Hotchkiss from Grangemouth, who was born in America but came to Scotland as a child after his Scottish father was killed in a mining accident; and Jean Bissett, who owned a “petit hairdressing salon in Camelon”.
Leith woman Margaret Davidson had an aunt in New Jersey, who held a dinner party for her in a hotel where a cabaret was being broadcast. On learning of her fantastic journey, the host interviewed her about her impressions of the great liner and her voice was heard across America.
Another member of the Scottish contingent was John Bett from Forfar, who saw action in the First World War with the Black Watch. The trip must have been incredibly emotional for him – while in New York he met his mother for the first time since she emigrated 30 years earlier.
When the winners returned to Scotland they wrote a report on their experience for The Sunday Post and appeared in a photo under the title “Whoopee!”.
Robin Sutherland said: “My dad died 12 years ago, but it wasn’t until my mum died two years ago and we were clearing out that we discovered all this Queen Mary stuff from the maiden voyage.
“He seems to have kept everything from the voyage – from luggage labels, New York itinerary and passenger lists to telegrams, accommodation plan and the hotel bill. “It was a real treasure trove.” Robin has put together an exhibition of his father’s Queen Mary memorabilia which will be on show at the Golspie Heritage Society, Station Road, Golspie, from August 1-12.