KNOWN as “the man who saved Queen Mary during WWII”, 93-year old Brisbane wartime hero Cyril Burcher, continued his association with Cunard’s Queens, by sailing onboard QM2 between Sydney and Hong Kong following her recent Circumnavigation of Australia. Burcher rose to the annals of Cunard fame after he and members of his crew spotted a German U-boat lying in wait for Queen Mary, (which was serving as a wartime troop ship), whilst they were carrying out an aerial escort in the North Atlantic in 1943. The crew managed to alert the troopship before it reached the U-boat, and in doing so, saved the ship and all those onboard. For his part in the operation, Burcher was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross. Burcher was accompanied onboard his recent QM2 adventure by his companion Marion Shaw and his two daughters, Desley Tree and Margie Melloy. “Margi and I had to drag Dad off to bed after midnight after the Madame Butterfly Ball,” Desley said, adding that “He had three ladies to dance with and he kept us busy”. Cyril is pictured below (right) onboard QM2 with and Cunard Line President Peter Shanks.
