Just as Canada and France prepare to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge this Sunday, Canadian veteran Kenneth Scott has been announced as one of seven World War II veterans who will participate in Cunard’s commemorative WWII sailing on board Queen Mary 2's Transatlantic Crossing, August 4-12, 2017.

The sailing, in partnership with The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation, will pay tribute to the forgotten heroes of World War II, honouring veterans with a unique enrichment program.

Scott, who served in the Royal Canadian Navy and saw wartime action aboard the RMS Aquitania, will join the voyage, participating in Q&A's and other discussions on topics such as ‘The Battle of the Atlantic: How the Allies Won the War’.

The 8-night voyage departing from Southampton, England (Cunard cruise number M729) will give guests the opportunity to attend lectures and interact with several WWII veterans, hearing first-hand about their experiences during the way. These distinguished war heroes will engage in discussions and Q&A's, giving guests a very personal glimpse into the human elements of wartime service.

"Cunard played a pivotal role in World War II, with our liners Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth transported as troop ships, and together carried over 1.5 million servicemen across the Atlantic, to and from the field of battle," said Josh Leibowitz, senior vice president, Cunard North America. "We are honored to partner with The Greatest Generations Foundation to offer our guests this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet these decorated veterans."

The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation is an International non-governmental organization dedicated to honouring the sacrifices of veterans by returning them to their former battlegrounds, cemeteries and memorials to ensure that their legacies are recorded and retold in perpetuity to future generations. Through veterans' first-hand accounts of their experiences, history comes to life and a greater understanding of our world today is found.

Other WWII veterans scheduled to be on board are American veterans Arthur Staymates, who stormed Omaha beach in D-Day's first wave; Joseph Reilly, who parachuted into Normandy five hours before the seaborne landing; Douglas Dillard, who made his first parachute combat jump in August 1944 in the South of France; Jack Holder, who was a Naval Flight Engineer on the Island of Oahu who took cover during the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor; Michael Ganitch, who served on the USS Pennsylvania and witnessed the attack on Pearl Harbor; and Stuart Hedley, also at Pearl Harbor, who recalls leaping from his ship into the water, coming up amid debris and burning oil and swimming to shore.

Scott’s ship, RMS Aquitania, had a normal troop capacity of 7,400 and was among the select group of large, fast former passenger ships capable of sailing independently without escort transporting large numbers of troops that were assigned worldwide as needed.

Cunard is also offering veterans and retired and active-duty personnel an on-board credit of up to $250 US per stateroom on this sailing.