This is an entry in a year-long project to post-blog the demobilisation experience for British servicemen at the end of the Second World War. See here for an introduction to the project and here for a brief overview of the demobilisation process.
The Queen has been demobbed, applauds the Times. RMS Queen Elizabeth, which was requisitioned into troopship service in November 1940, just eight months after her maiden voyage to New York, will arrive in Southhampton today and be promptly withdrawn from service until September to reaccouter her for a return to the transatlantic passenger trade. The Minister of War Transport announced that with the relaxation of demand for troop transport to and from the United States and Canada the famous Cunard liner is now surplus to requirements. He added (anticipating complaints from British servicemen still awaiting repatriation from the Far East) that given the Queen Elizabeth's unusual size and her inability to negotiate the Suez Canal she is not suitable for any other efficient troop transport role and her demobilisation will not affect the overall rate of release for overseas forces. During her military career the ship sailed over half a million miles, carrying at least 750,000 personnel. Her high cruising speed of 26 knots allowed her to outrun most U-Boat hazards and so travel alone without convoy escort.
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