Clydebank Post | News | The boy who delayed the launch of the QE2

Monday, 8th September, 2008

Published: Wednesday, 19th September, 2007 10:00

The boy who delayed the launch of the QE2

By Colin Hutton

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Edward at the Titan Crane

BETTER late than never — Clydebank’s most famous ship was delayed because the flag boy was too excited by the royal occasion.

Forty years ago this week, a wide-eyed 18-year-old apprentice was given the honour of providing the final signal for the QE2’s launch, but he was so “engrossed” with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth that he forgot to do his key job.

Edward Rae, now 58, told the Post: “Before any ship gets launched we actually hold a flag up that says launch on it.

“There’s a flag boy on every ship and it’s usually one of the apprentices and my head foreman gave me the job that day.

“Unusually I actually got on with my foreman and it was me that got the honour to be the flag boy on the QE2.

“Once the man on the other side had put up his flag to say that the river was closed then we could give a green flag to signal that the ship could now be launched.

“But I was so engrossed with everything that was going on — especially when I saw the Queen coming down the stairs — that I forgot to put my flag up and my gaffer was screaming at me to try to get my attention.

“So actually the QE2 was a few minutes late getting launched because I had got caught up in the moment.”

Born in Dalmuir, Edward worked at John Brown’s yard for 12 years before embarking on a teaching career at Clydebank College.

Now a supported learning lecturer at the college specialising in life skills, such as photography and DIY, Edward is back on the same site where it all began more than 40 years ago.

He added: “I started in the yards at 15 and now I’m back on the exact same site where my career started off — at the college.

“I first went to the college for my apprenticeship all those years ago and now I’m back, so I’ve been in the old college since it opened and I was there when it closed.

“And it’s actually quite nice to teach on the exact site where the QE2 was launched from every day because I have so many good memories of my time here.”

The special edition QE2 publication ‘Memories’ is available for £1 from the following shops. Clydebank: Roll in One, Maggies Munchies; Radnor Park: Daly, Malik; Whitecrook: Ahmed and Hussain, Flemming Gift Centre, Flemming Food Centre; Yoker: Pelosi, A&M Convenience Store; Scotstoun: Countdown Stores, Mohammad; Whiteinch: Basic Necessities.

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