Ferry impressive! Care home recreates a 1950s ship cabin for a resident who travelled the world by sea to marry her husband

A care home in Maidstone recreated the cabin of the ship a resident sailed around the world on, aged just 23, to marry her future husband. 

When Mary Savage, 95, a resident at Care UK’s Invicta Court, on Gidd’s Pond Way, shared her story of following her soon-to-be husband around the world when the Navy posted him in Hong Kong, the team knew they had to do something special to bring her memories back to life.

Tasked with recreating the cabin of the ship Mary sailed on, the HMT Empire Trooper, the home’s Maintenance Manager, Brian Thornton, first studied the ship’s design and old photos Mary had captured, before putting his engineering expertise to the test. 

Built in sections over the course of several months, the ship’s cabin was created using recycled material, including cardboard boxes to old wood saved from a fallen down gazebo in Brian’s garden. 

On 16^th February 1952, Mary boarded the ship in the Port of Southampton to endure a five-week journey to Kowloon in Hong Kong. After saying a tearful goodbye to her family in London, Mary boarded the ship with her belongings in a suitcase, which had in it a neatly folded, pale pink, silk wedding dress. Her final destination was to be the altar, where her future husband, Colin Savage, would be waiting for her.

The couple met while working at a factory in Maidstone. Quickly realising that factory work was not the career for him, Colin rejoined join the Royal Navy, where he worked as an instructor at HMS Pembroke. It was during his time here that Colin popped the question, but later had to delay their wedding due to being posted to Hong Kong. 

With almost 6,000 miles between the two of them, Mary booked her one-way ticket to be reunited with her love. The ship had been due to sail a day earlier but was delayed due to the funeral of King George VI. 

After safely arriving in Hong Kong, the couple married on 22 March, 1952, on Nathan Road, Kowloon, where Mary recalls: “I didn’t know a soul in the city apart from my soon-to-be husband.” The couple went on to live in Kowloon, where Mary volunteered at a local school.

To officially unveil the recreation, the team at Invicta Court invited Mary’s family and friends, which included four generations, alongside her extended family at Invicta Court, to hear her story and share her memories. 

Commenting on the surprise, Mary said: “I was lost for words when I saw the cabin. It looked so realistic that it was like walking back to the past– I couldn’t believe it. I’m so thankful to Brian and for being able to share my memory with my family.”

Commenting on the cabin, Brian said: “I’m delighted to have recreated the ship’s cabin for Mary and to help her relive all the wonderful memories of her travels to Kowloon. Seeing her face light up as she walked through the recreation was heart-warming to see.”

Sara Barbosa, Home Manager at Invicta Court, said: “Mary’s travels to Kowloon is a true love story for the ages and brought tears of happiness and joy to everyone who heard her retelling. I’m delighted we were able to transport Mary back to her younger years and share her journey with her family and friends in such a fantastically visual way.

“I want to say a big thank you to Brian for taking the time to build the cabin, and to Mary for sharing her story with us. The two share a special bond and it has been heart-warming to see them together in the ship’s cabin, laughing and reminiscing. 

“From Southampton to Kowloon, and Kowloon to Maidstone, this is certainly a story filled with love.” 

Invicta Court offers a full range of permanent residential care and short-term respite in luxurious surroundings, including a café, hair and beauty salon, bar and cinema. The highly trained, professional team also delivers specialist dementia care.

For more information on Invicta Court contact Customer Relations Manager, Jaime Jukes, on 01622 291749, email jaime.jukes@careuk.com or visit: careuk.com/invicta-court