The escalating Anglo-Dutch wars forced their hand, however: several temporary buildings were hastily erected in Sheerness, at the mouth of the Medway, to enable ships to re-arm, re-victual and (if necessary) be repaired as quickly as possible. One of the boys' favourite moments is the time they bent the new uniform rules. Brian said: "Chatham was more strict, you'd have to do your tie up and you couldn't roll up your sleeves.". [27], To meet the new demands of building in iron, metal mills were built alongside the smithery in 1845, containing rolling machinery and furnaces for reprocessing iron. It was 50 years ago these former Chatham Dockyard apprentices met for the first time. Extended in connection with preparations for HMS, No 1 Machine Shop 1861. The group has met regularly over the years celebrating their time at Chatham together. Diamond, one of the Navy's Daring Class Destroyers which was in Dry Dock in one of the Basins. 17781783 Further improvements were carried out, to the designs of Captain Hugh Debbeig at the bequest of General Amherst. [10], From the very start of the 18th century, however, Chatham began to be superseded in both size and importance, first by Portsmouth, then Plymouth, when the main naval enemy became France, and the Western approaches the chief theatre of operations. If you have memories of Chatham in the Dockyard's heyday then tell us your stories. Plymouth Argyle legend Paul Wotton leads Truro City to promotion, Finley Craske, a loan signing from Argyle, was part of the Truro team which won the Southern League Premier South Play-Off Final, Former winery transformed into idyllic 'private' and 'peaceful' family home, The property has sufficient space to create the 'ideal pony paddock', Doctor warns of nine symptoms of 'silent killer' that women shouldn't ignore, Ovarian cancer is often called a 'silent killer' because warning signs often don't become apparent until the disease is advanced, Peek inside Plymouth's 'secret' tennis club as it opens up for new members, The Stonehouse Lawn Tennis Club has grass courts, gardens, allotments and, Affordable homes to tackle housing crisis to built on former youth club site. At the same time, it was made clear that at Chatham "the dockyard will be retained; but the barracks and other naval establishments will be closed". Therefore, rather than risk being constrained by wind, tide and draught on a journey upriver, ships would seek as often as possible to do running repairs and maintenance while at anchor, and would only travel to the dockyard when necessary. Terry Hoare at home in 1963 during his apprenticeship at Chatham Dockyard. Subscribe now for regular news, updates and priority booking for events.Sign up, All content is available under the Open Government Licence We understand that memories of this nature can be challenging and sometimes uncomfortable to talk about. In its early days, dockyards such as Chatham were the largest industrial centres in the world. He said: The training was excellent. Chatham's establishment as a naval dockyard was precipitated by the use of the Medway as a safe anchorage by the ships of what became (under King Henry VIII) England's permanent Royal Navy. - David, Germany, "From 1980-1984 I sold newspapers on board all the ships that docked in the yard, I was a young lad of 11 when I started, and only stopped after my father was transferred to Plymouth Dockyard in 1985. dailyinfo[8]=' 1473 Private Arthur EDDINGTON 1st/13th Kensington Bn. dailyinfo[30]=' 35346 Private Stuart Bathurst Scott COATES 13th Bn. This was a somewhat unusual . Dad worked on the submarines for years, and only left when the Dock Yard closed, Many people would have know him as Nobby, but sadly passed away . It made do with a single shipbuilding slip for much of the 17th century (a second slip, dating from the same period, had fallen out of use; it was replaced in the 1730s). Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent.Established in Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham (at its most extensive, in the early 20th century, two-thirds of the dockyard lay in Gillingham, one-third in Chatham).. Saw HMS Jamaica of Bismarck fame and I believe we saw HMS Manxman too in which a friend's uncle had served during WW2. The dockyard closed in the 1980s and is now a museum. The Marines were withdrawn from Chatham in 1950, and the buildings were later demolished. We regret that The Historic Dockyard Chatham is unable to carry out personal research on your behalf. It was used to house the, No 1 Boiler Shop and No 8 Machine Shop were originally built as slip covers at, Dock Pumping Station 1874: as well as serving to empty dry docks 58 when required, its. The boys even achieved ISMs, Imperial Service Medals - but what really stays in their memories, they say, is the 'camaraderie' and the laughter. In 1832 the post of commissioner was replaced by the post of superintendent, who was invested with the same power and authority as the former commissioners, "except in matters requiring an Act of Parliament to be submitted by the Commissioner of the Navy". A fifth dry dock (No 9) was added in 1895 on the north side of No 1 Basin, opposite the other four, to accommodate the new, larger battleships which were then under construction. "Without a shadow of a doubt, those were the best years of my life, apart from my married life of course.". He was Collingwood Battalion RND. Those that we have in our collections are ones that have been donated to us, usually by families of former dockyard workers or Chatham Ratings. How the military presence developed after 1820, showing how the need for housing gave birth to New Brompton, and showing roads and railways. Coordinates: 512350N 003140E / 51.39722N 0.52778E / 51.39722; 0.52778 Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional . Designed by Edward Holl, it has a gallery supported on cast iron columns, one of the first uses of cast iron in the dockyard. As no muster books survive after the mid-19th century you will need to consultsalary and pension records for dockyard workers after that period. Just ties. "It's a nice crowd of boys, it's fun being here," says group member Joe May, 86 from Torpoint. Alongside the four dry docks it now had a total of six shipbuilding slips (equalling Deptford and outnumbering the other yards in this regard), albeit three of the six were under 150ft (46m) in length and suitable only for building smaller warships. Glenn, USA, "My Grandfather worked in the dockyard, he was a shipbuilder and worked night and day during the WW2. [138], A barracks was built in Brompton from 1804 to 1806 for the Royal Artillery gunners serving on the defensive Lines (previously they had been accommodated in the Infantry Barracks). At the time of its closure the dockyard covered 400 acres (1.6km2). [20], Among the vessels built in this Dockyard which still exist are HMSVictory (launched in 1765 and now preserved at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard)[22] and HMSUnicorn (a Leda-class frigate), launched in 1824 and now preserved afloat at Dundee). I was going to leave that bit about Trafalgar out, but their Town Mayor, whose English was better than my French, picked it up and told them anyway. Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust cares for over 70,000 objects in its collection - ranging from archaeology, rigging, hand tools, machinery to fine art and photography. We collect and preserve objects related to the Dockyards past and also carry out specific research into the Dockyards rich and varied history. It really did feel like one big family with a happy atmosphere. I am 82 years of age and was a Naval Shipwright Apprentice (Dockyard number 21413) in Chatham Dockyard from 1941 until 1945. South Staffordshire Regiment who died 01/05/1920 KRANJI MILITARY CEMETERY Singapore ' The Historic Dockyard Chatham: Views of a former apprentice 45 years on ! [8], 1567 is generally seen as the date of Chatham's establishment as a Royal Naval Dockyard. Built immediately to the north of the Smithery (the intervening space was later infilled with the Smithery extension of 1867). The majority of its buildings are still standing, several of them occupied by the Universities at Medway. Bob recalls: In the second year we were given the job of building the Dockyard entry for the 1965 Southsea Carnival which was based on the old woman who lived in a shoe.. 3 Slip). Alternatively, search The National Archives Library to see what is available to consult at Kew. These were built to a standard design with bays 45 by 20 feet (13.7 by 6.1m). This website and its associated newspaper are members of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). Trying to find the right nursery, school, college, university or training provider in Kent or Medway? Thereafter this was divided into three sections: 80 acres (0.32km2), the 18th century core of the site, was transferred to a charity called the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust. Land was purchased to the northeast for its construction, and the new saw mill began operation in 1814. Along the southern edge of No 1 Basin four new dry docks were built (Nos 58), each 420ft (130m) long. London Regiment who died 08/05/1915 PLOEGSTEERT MEMORIAL Belgium ' He spent two years learning basic skills before going on "float" learning his trade of welding, machine fitting and repairs on board ships based in the basins and dry docks. Elgar Curling, who was 16 at the time, said: We all still get on a like house on fire. Visit Veterans UK to find out how to request a summary of a service record. This aerial photograph shows the dry docks at Chatham Dockyard. Similar but smaller blocks to the north and south housed ancillary services, such as the pay office, infirmary and Quartermaster's stores. [30] Work on the other docks and basins followed, with No 3 Basin finally being completed in 1883. Combined Ship Trade Office 1880: now the "Ship & Trades" public house. Rifle Brigade who died 09/05/1915 RATION FARM MILITARY CEMETERY, LA CHAPELLE-DARMENTIERES France' During their time together, he and his colleagues gelled and enjoyed years of "tomfoolery" and were sometimes reprimanded by trainers for their pranks. Remembered Today: By 1611 Chatham had been chosen as its location (in preference to Deptford, which at the time was the nation's principal naval shipbuilding yard; this led to speculation that Deptford was going to be sold off). Trying to find the right nursery, school, college, university or training provider in Kent or Medway? For quick pointersTuesday to Saturday Lancashire Fusiliers who died 25/04/1915 HELLES MEMORIAL Turkey (including Gallipoli) ' Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust cares for over 70,000 objects in its collection ranging from archaeology, rigging, hand tools, machinery to fine art and photography.
