Some older yard pay books and muster books are archived at The National Archives at Kew. Most significantly, Chatham's first dry dock was opened in 1581 (for repairing naval galleys). My Grandad had already retired by the time the Dockyard was due to close, but I remember me, my mum and dad going down to Devenport to see the Dockyard there as my dad was thinking of relocating us down there. [1] The painting, now in the National Maritime Museum, provides a detailed illustration of the yard as it was in the Age of Sail; many of the buildings and structures illustrated survive: William Camden (15511623) described Chatham dockyard as, stored for the finest fleet the sun ever beheld, and ready at a minutes warning, built lately by our most gracious sovereign Elizabeth at great expense for the security of her subjects and the terror of her enemies, with a fort on the shore for its defence.[2]. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Collections at The Historic Dockyard Chatham Nobody ever had it as good as we did - and nobody will ever have it as good as we did.". Amazingly, a group of Plymouth grandads meet every six weeks at the pub to catch-up with each other, remember their friends who are no longer here and reminisce about the incredible camaraderie they experienced in the dockyard. dailyinfo[20]=' 3/1423 Private John QUINN 2nd Bn. A further 3,000 troops could be accommodated in times of "total emergency" (900 were sleeping in the Drill Hall when it suffered a direct hit from two bombs in September 1917, which killed over 130 men). The subalterns were given one room each, the captains two, and field officers four. For the first two years of his apprenticeship, he moved through the different ships, Brian recalled, and in his third year the skipper taught him, he said. Paul Makin | Engine Fitter Apprentice My Grandad had already retired by the time the Dockyard was due to close." If you walk into the Union Rooms on a Friday afternoon you'll meet all manner of people. He was Petty Officer Evan Thomas Ellis MZ205. The Black Yarn House to store the tarred yarn. dailyinfo[4]=' 13/927 Trooper James Werner MAGNUSSON Albert Medal Auckland Mounted Rifles, N.Z.E.F. Chatham Naval Dockyard, Kent. The indenture was a contract signed by the apprentice, the parent / guardian and the Admirality on satisfactory completion of a 3 month probation period. Welsh Regiment who died 30/04/1916 MERVILLE COMMUNAL CEMETERY France ' Charles Dickens (18121870), who had grown up in Chatham, returned in later life and described in 1861 the novel sight (and sounds) of a ship being built for the first time of iron (rather than wood): Twelve hundred men are working at her now; twelve hundred men working on stages over her sides, over her bows, over her sterns, under her keel, between her decks, down in her hold, within her and without, crawling and creeping into the finest curves of her lines wherever it is possible for men to twist. Now used as offices. Proposals were made for a fourth Basin of 57 acres (230,000m2), together with additional large docks of up to 800ft (240m), to cover the remaining land on St Mary's Island; but these were soon superseded by plans to build an entirely new dockyard at Rosyth. Do you visit the Dockyard now? [120], After the demise of the Board of Ordnance (1855), Ordnance Yards passed under the control of the War Office, and were eventually (in 1891) apportioned to either the Army or the Navy. We can either copy our records onto paper or deliver them to you digitally, Visit us in Kew to see original documents or view online records for free, Consider paying for else { document.write(fontstart+"No major events today"+fontend); } I just remember some of those old guys that actually lived in the dockyard." The Marines were withdrawn from Chatham in 1950, and the buildings were later demolished. And the men remember they had quite a strict deadline on a Friday afternoon. [26] Another hint of changes to come was seen in the launch of HMS Aetna, the first armour-plated vessel to be built at Chatham, in 1856. Do you have an LGBTQ+ story or experience linked to the Dockyard, the Navy or the Medway Towns that you feel comfortable sharing with us? PDF The history of - Microsoft At the same time, the nearby village of Brompton began to be developed to provide housing for the dockyard's growing workforce. The Trust is preparing an application for the Dockyard and its Defences to become a World Heritage Site. In its early days, dockyards such as Chatham were the largest industrial centres in the world. Brian and John remember their Devonport Dockyard wage: 2 6s 2d a week (about 2.32), with no overtime for apprentices, but said at the time they were well looked after. They were the good old days,but,it is still a wonderful place to go and visit, I go often. Medway Council offices and car park now stand on the site. [35], In February 1958 it was announced in Parliament that Sheerness Dockyard would close in 1960, with Nore Command (and its Chatham-based Commander-in-Chief) to be abolished the following year. On March 31, 1984, Chatham Dockyard closed its doors forever, ending 414 years of history. Trying to find the right nursery, school, college, university or training provider in Kent or Medway? We, as a family, would travel up from East Kent to attend the dockyard when they had a 'Navy Days' event. ). The ponds were connected by canal. This was a somewhat unusual . [129] The establishment of the Dept was linked to the appointment in 1778 of an 'Inspector General and Superintendent of the Recruiting of all the Forces employed on foreign service', based in Chatham, who provided a degree of centralised oversight of recruitment (responsibility for which had previously been left entirely to the regiments). In 1832 the Navy Board was abolished and all yards and establishments, except gun wharves, were amalgamated under a single authority. Div Royal Marine Light Infantry who died 05/05/1915 HELLES MEMORIAL Turkey (including Gallipoli) ' My grandad was an electrician working on the submarines and my dad was an engineer. Chatham (1567-1983) Deptford (1513-1869) Plymouth - from 1824 known as Devonport Dockyard (1690-present) . Built immediately to the north of the Smithery (the intervening space was later infilled with the Smithery extension of 1867). [12], The dockyard received its first royal visit, from Elizabeth I, in 1573; later, in 1606, James I used Chatham dockyard for a meeting with Christian IV of Denmark. But he's having a problem tracking down the class from 1960 when 13 of them embarked on a five-year course, which for many of them moulded their lives in years to come. Chatham House - Furnished Residences for Boys near Marathahalli HMS Bee, launched at Chatham in 1842, was an experimental vessel fitted with both paddles and a propeller, each of which could be driven independently from the same engine for comparison. NOSTALGIA: Were you one of these Dockyard apprentices? Apprentices and masters - The National Archives He adds: I am in contact with four other apprentices John Bramble, Geoff Hillier, Barry Pickering and John Summerfield from the entry, but it would be nice to get a reunion gathering together. Initially, soldiers were housed under canvas or else billetted in houses and inns, but from the 18th century barracks began to be constructed. [35] In 1968, a nuclear submarine refitting complex was built between Nos 6 and 7 dry docks, complete with refuelling cranes and health physics building. var dailyinfo= new Array(31) [115], An Ordnance Yard was established in the 17th century immediately upriver of the Dockyard (on the site of the original Tudor yard, vacated in 1622). BBC - Kent - History - The workers There was space for some 500 horses and 1,000 men. However he was readmitted to RNH Chatham on 9/11/1915as case number 312. Additional flight to evacuate Britons from Sudan today, Tributes paid to singer Gordon Lightfoot following death, Marks &Spencer to close stores in May - full list of closures, HMV to reopen original flagship store after four year closure, Mller recall Cadbury desserts because of Listeria contamination, Nurses strike continues: Major disruption for NHS services in England. Did you or your family, work there on the ships? dailyinfo[16]=' 56932 Serjeant William Philip WATSON Distinguished Conduct Medal, Military Medal 58th Field Amb Royal Army Medical Corps who died 16/04/1918 TYNE COT MEMORIAL Belgium ' Not long afterwards a large new single-storey Carriage Store, with a long frontage parallel to the river, was constructed, adjoining the Storekeeper's House to the south. The first steam-powered ship to be laid down at Chatham was HMS Phoenix, one of four paddle steamers built concurrently across the royal dockyards in the early 1830s, each designed by a different leading shipwright. Additionally required were the blockmakers, caulkers, pitch-heaters, blacksmiths, joiners and carpenters, sail makers, riggers, and ropemakers (274), as well as bricklayers, labourers and others. [24] Among other things, the use of iron in ship construction enabled larger vessels to be built, and between 1836 and 1851 Chatham gained five new covered slipways, much larger in scale than the ones they replaced. One of the boys' favourite moments is the time they bent the new uniform rules. *Denotes starting price exclusive of GST. Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. ), The final boats constructed in Chatham were Oberon-class submarines Ocelot was the last vessel built for the Royal Navy, and the final vessel was Okanagan built for the Royal Canadian Navy and launched on 17 September 1966. Dockyard Apprentices June 1975 - Sept 1980 This list of apprentices, both craft and technician, was extracted from a ledger entitled " DEED SIGNING BOOK" . I became so attached to the place,(My Home Port!) The principal records and how to search for them, A guide to the naval records in The National Archives of the UK, Friends of The National They spent much of the time relaying fond memories of working and socialising together. [20], In 1897 a new, even longer dry dock was opened on the north side of No 1 Basin: at its opening, this (No 9 Dock) was the largest in the world at 650ft (200m) long by 84ft (26m) wide. 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. PDF This list of apprentices, both craft and technician, was extracted from 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). John said: "The dockyard gave you a good life. [121] Most of the 18th-century buildings were demolished, with the exception of the Storekeeper's House of 1719, which survives as the Command House public house. Clocktower building 1723. He said: "It would mean the world to me to have another reunion. They may still be with the rest of the modern Defence archives at Swadlincote. Also in 1686 a 'Great Long Store-house' was built, alongside the ropery on what is now Anchor Wharf;[10] and two new mast ponds were constructed, in what was then the northernmost part of the yard, in 1697 and 1702. This building retains it original structure and roof glazing. 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.
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