Churchill Thanks The Captain Of The Queen Mary For Trip To Quebec Conference
The first Quebec Conference was a highly secret military conference held during World War II between the British Canadian and United States governments. The seven-day conference, attended by Churchill and Roosevelt, was held in Quebec City at the Citadelle and at the Chăteau Frontenac. Churchill traveled with his entourage aboard the Queen Mary from London to Quebec escorted by 3 destroyers. When it was going at full at full speed, the Queen Mary reached 40 knots, zigzagging to make sure a German U Boat could not hit it with a torpedo. It took 5 days to get to Halifax in Nova Scotia where the ship docked because the Queen Mary could only dock in 2 ports in North America - Halifax and New York. On May 11, Churchill sent this letter to the skipper of the Queen Mary, Captain Cyril Illingworth, thanking him for his hospitality during the voyage. On 10 Downing Street stationary, signed "Winston Churchill"
