A resident was left “lost for words” after her care home recreated the cabin of the ship she sailed around the world on to marry her future husband.

Mary Savage, 95, was touched after Care UK’s Invicta Court in Maidstone reconstructed the cabin she travelled in back in 1952.

Her then-fiance Colin had rejoined the Royal Navy and had been posted to Hong Kong when 23-year-old Mary decided to board the HMT Empire Trooper with a one-way ticket to join him 6,000 miles away from Maidstone.

Relatives – including four generations – alongside extended family and friends joined Mary at Invicta Court to look around the cabin, hear her story and share memories.

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.”

Tasked with recreating the cabin of the HMT Empire Trooper was the home maintenance manager, Brian Thornton who 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 recreated using recycled material, including cardboard boxes and old wood saved from a fallen down gazebo in Brian’s garden.

Brian was more than happy to recreate the ship cabin to take Mary back to 1952.

He 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 heartwarming to see.”

Colin had met Mary while working at a factory in Maidstone before he had rejoined the navy 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.

However, on February 16 1952, Mary boarded the ship in the Port of Southampton to endure a five-week journey to Kowloon after saying a tearful goodbye to her family in London.

Mary boarded the ship with her belongings in a suitcase, which contained a neatly-folded, pale pink, silk wedding dress.

After safely arriving in Hong Kong, the couple married on March 22, 1952, on Nathan Road, Kowloon.

The couple went on to live in Kowloon, where Mary volunteered at a local school.

Home manager Sara Barbosa spoke of the emotion Mary’s story brought to the care home.

She 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 heartwarming 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.”