The largest groups were the fitters and turners and the electricians followed by the shipwrights. But he said without helping me out in the garage ripping out engines, he wouldnt have a clue.. 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. if (month<10) month="0"+month ), 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. The decision established Chatham as the country's premier naval industrial complex; nevertheless, concerns were already being raised over its river being prone to silting. Please do get in touch with a member of the collections team if you have any questions about this project. In its early days, dockyards such as Chatham were the largest industrial centres in the world. This website and its associated newspaper are members of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). 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. "Ted was living in the Maidstone area at . I remember arriving at Chatham Dockyard in the Spring of 1954 to join H.M.S. The BBC reserves the right to edit comments submitted. These were designed by Captain, No 7 Slip is one of the earliest examples of a modern metal, No 2 Dry Dock 1856 was built on the site of "The Old Single Dock" where HMS, No 3 Dry Dock 1820, the first to be constructed of stone, was designed by, No 4 Dry Dock 1840 was built on the site of one of a parallel pair of docks built in 1686 (the second of which was converted into the adjacent slipway, No. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. [119], Chatham Infantry Barracks was opened in 1757 to house troops manning the fortifications which had recently been built to defend the Dockyard. All of these Apprentices are bound to Masters whose names and trades are also included. Old Sweats; 9.3k Location: Somerset (Wiltshire/Dorset border) Interests: The West Africa squadron in the 1840s; naval medicine; First World War, especially in poetry . One of the boys' favourite moments is the time they bent the new uniform rules. At its height, it employed over 10,000 skilled artisans and covered 400 acres (1.6km2). At around the same time, in the older part of the dockyard, No 7 Slip was extended to accommodate the building of HMS Prince of Wales (launched in 1902), and a new (uncovered) slipway was built a little to the north (No 8 Slip, completed in 1900); at 616ft (188m) this was one of the longest slips in the world and was designed for building battleships. When the first Labour budget in eighteen . How the military presence developed after 1820, showing how the need for housing gave birth to New Brompton, and showing roads and railways. [136] The new development has retained the name Kitchener Barracks. 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. He very often told us grandchildren about the work and circumstances during the WW2. Chatham dockyard closed in 1984, and 84 acres (34ha) of the Georgian dockyard is now managed as the Chatham Historic Dockyard visitor attraction by the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust. The oldest surviving naval storehouse in any Royal Dockyard. 'The apprenticeship at Chatham Dockyard is the finest in the world - if you stick to it, the world's your oyster' Robert Smith's dad told his teenage son. [36] This website and its associated newspaper are members of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). For Joe, the group is special as they share stories from a 'bygone age that no longer exists'. Anchor Wharf Store Houses 17781805 (at nearly 700 feet [210m] long) are the largest storehouses ever built for the navy. Co Live Sunrise Narendra 1, Purnima Niwas, 3rd Main Rd, Doddanekundi, Doddanekkundi, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560037, India. Use our catalogue to search within the records series listed below. [20] Holl's smithery was itself enlarged with the addition of a foundry in the 1850s, and its courtyard was roofed over for a steam hammer shop in 1865. They lived in Chatham, in Old Brompton, some in Rochester and Strood, but by far the greatest number in New Brompton and Gillingham, and the similarity of much of that district to a Midland or Northern industrial town was due to dockyard workers many of whom had come from the North. "If you were in trouble, if you had a problem, there was always someone there to support you," recalled Joe. The yard would have received, stored and issued cannons and gun-carriages (along with projectiles, accoutrements and also all manner of small arms) for ships based in the Medway, as well as for local artillery emplacements and for army use. See our research guides on Royal Navy ratings and Royal Navy warrant officers for more information. For England this will usually mean one ofthe following six Royal Navy dockyards (the years in brackets are opening and closing dates): For details of more Royal Navy dockyards, both in the UK and overseas, see the Appendix. [134] In 1865, following the opening of new and enlarged hospital facilities in Fort Pitt, the old Garrison Hospital was closed; its buildings (on what is now Maxwell Road) were converted into barracks and named 'Upper Chatham Barracks'[135] (later 'Upper Kitchener Barracks'). [47] St Mary's Island, a 150-acre (0.61km2), largely undeveloped area to the north of the three basins, was transformed into a residential community for some 1,500 homes. We regret that The Historic Dockyard Chatham is unable to carry out personal research on your behalf. In the interwar years, eight S-class submarines as well as X1 were built at Chatham but this was a period of decline. The Black Yarn House to store the tarred yarn. Chatham Dockyard ledgers: employees, apprentices, etc . She said plans to upgrade her garden, part of her retirement after 38 years in the NHS, have now been put on hold, People with these 57 health conditions can get more than 400 a month from DWP, The support is available to millions of people, Plymouth Civic Square improvements are starting to take shape. 307th Bde. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. [15] (The old site was in due course transferred to the Ordnance Board, who established the gun wharf there.) [20], Dockyards have always required shore defences. Mr Gray also endorsed the expertise handed over to young apprentices. Production ramped up during World War II with HMS's Umpire, Una, Splendid, Sportsman, Shalimar, Tradewind, Trenchant, Turpin, Thermopylae and Acheron being constructed. - Chris, Cuxton, "I began as a coppersmith apprentice at Chatham Dockyard, and ended up as a Mechanical Design Draughtsman before I left and moved to the USA in 1981. Amusingly, they rigged the draw, Keith says, so their friend would win. This guide will help you find records of the staff of Royal Navy dockyards, victualling yards and other naval establishments from around the 1920s or before. Also, is it definitely RNH? They spent much of the time relaying fond memories of working and socialising together. No 4, 5 and 6 Slips 1848. Published 15 June 2021. 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. The boys tell of their daily roles: clocking people in and out, checking employees were working, checking pay, doing the 'holiday rounds', and recording various bits of information. dailyinfo[19]=' Second Lieutenant Robert Charles Middleton HARPER General List who died 19/04/1917 JERUSALEM MEMORIAL Israel and Palestine (including Gaza) ' This is a story of the creation of the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust and its history, from Elizabethan origins to fleet base and shipbuilding yard . DavidWent to Navy Days, both as a toddler with my parents and later as 8-10 yr old with school friends. Under its remit, the westernmost (No 1) Basin was turned into a marina, part of the former factory area to the south was transformed into an entertainment and retail complex ('Chatham Maritime') and the former Barracks (HMS Pembroke) became Universities at Medway. [31] In 1897 a naval barracks was built on the site of the prison to provide crew accommodation for ships anchored in The Nore; for the next sixty years it served as the headquarters of Nore Command, whose Commander-in-Chief was accommodated in the adjacent Admiralty House. Regularly taking the mickey out of each other, the group told Plymouth Live that it was crucial to have a good sense of humour. Diamond, one of the Navy's Daring Class Destroyers which was in Dry Dock in one of the Basins. dailyinfo[20]=' 3/1423 Private John QUINN 2nd Bn. [128] The three-storey barrack blocks were aligned northsouth. [55], The Captain of the Dockyard's House and flagstaff, Double Ropewalk and Black Yarn House to right, The Victorian Steam Yard was built around three large Basins (wet docks), constructed between 1865 and 1885 along the line of St Mary's Creek (separating St Mary's Island from the mainland). At the time the order was given the vessel was entirely unrigged; yet the masts were raised, sails bent, anchors and cables on board, in that time.[3]. (Hill House would serve as the dockyard's Pay Office for the next 180 years; the Royal Marine Barracks were later built on its site). [48], Chatham Dockyard has become a popular location for filming, due to its varied and interesting areas such as the cobbled streets, church and over 100 buildings dating from the Georgian and Victorian periods. Plan meals, try new foods and explore cuisines with tested recipes from the country's top chefs. *Denotes starting price exclusive of GST. The surviving records for dockyard workers tend to be various kinds of records of pay, including muster books (but not after the mid-19th century) and pension records. 292101. Combined Ship Trade Office 1880: now the "Ship & Trades" public house. Most of us went on to get good, highly-paid jobs.". [45] In 2019 Peel announced that Chatham Docks would close in 2025 with the loss of 800 jobs. But he likes to remember the time he bet a colleague 1 to jump in the water wearing the sacks. It was 50 years ago these former Chatham Dockyard apprentices met for the first time. Discover some of the amazing objects found at the Dockyard. seaJane. 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. I clearly remember visiting Chatham Navy Dockyard during the 1970s as a boy. The Dock would be filled with all types of Naval ships, decked out with flags & crew dressed in their dress uniforms. 09:00 to 17:00. MDL Apprentice Training School, Certificate Distribution of ''Supervisory Development Program'' for Graduate/Diploma Apprentices under the Apprentices Act, 1961 - 16.03.2023 .