Recommended Posts. Ten new community-led, affordable homes for local people. Early History of the Royal Yards and the original Dockyard of Chatham chap 1 1 The New Dockyard 7 Ship List, 1586- 1660 13 Notes on the Rating and Tonnage of Ships 15 Estimate of Costs for a 3rd-rate 16 . Chatham Dockyard Apprentices Archives, Open Government Licence [20], No 1 Basin was officially opened in 1871, with HMS Invincible being brought into No 5 Dock for repairs, with great ceremony. Pembroke Royal Navy who died 18/04/1918 GILLINGHAM (WOODLANDS) CEMETERY, KENT United Kingdom ' 20,900 were here. We worked together from 7am to 4.30pm and earned 2, 13 shillings and two pence a week.". Do you remember Chatham Naval Dockyard when it was in its prime? In the interwar years, eight S-class submarines as well as X1 were built at Chatham but this was a period of decline. But every six weeks, if you're lucky, you might bump into a group of men - all in their 80s - who have some truly fascinating stories to tell. dailyinfo[5]=' CH/316(S) Private Jack WILSON Chatham Bn. The majority of its buildings are still standing, several of them occupied by the Universities at Medway. He first started his apprenticeship when he was sent to the ropery on his first day by accident. By chance, about 4 or 5 years ago, while on rota on the Visitor Operations team at The Historic Dockyard Chatham I had a conversation with a visitor who had been the Master of HL7025 in service. From projects focused on . 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. 2 School of Navigation and Bomb Dropping Royal Air Force who died 22/04/1919 PENTON MEWSEY (HOLY TRINITY) CHURCHYARD United Kingdom ' [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. Another member of the group, John Gibson, 79 from Southway, joined the dockyard as an apprentice in September 1955. The ground floor were built as offices, the first floor contained reception rooms with bedrooms above. - See 2,652 traveller reviews, 1,691 candid photos, and great deals for Chatham, UK, at Tripadvisor. The project has enabled a sustainable future for one of the Dockyards most important Scheduled Ancient Monuments. The Great War Forum Limited Dockyard Church 1806. Crash Out On Cavalier Overnight Stay Experience. The Marines were withdrawn from Chatham in 1950, and the buildings were later demolished. BBC - Kent - Message Board - Chatham Dockyard remembered if (dailyinfo[daym] != "") { document.write(fontstart+dailyinfo[daym]+fontend) } The officers and men employed in the yard had also increased, and by 1798 they numbered 1,664, including 49 officers and clerks and 624 shipwrights. It really did feel like one big family with a happy atmosphere. Since November 2017 Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust has undertaken major conservation, repair and adaptation works to the Fitted Rigging House, the home of the Reading Room. [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). "It's a nice crowd of boys, it's fun being here," says group member Joe May, 86 from Torpoint. Chatham Dockyard ledgers: employees, apprentices, etc . We were all in the same boat together and struck up an instant friendship, which we still have.. These were built to a standard design with bays 45 by 20 feet (13.7 by 6.1m). It was 50 years ago these former Chatham Dockyard apprentices met for the first time. Nobody ever had it as good as we did - and nobody will ever have it as good as we did.". I remember being in awe of the sheer size of it and the amount of hustle and bustle that was all about. Under his supervision the site was developed to include sawpits, workshops, storehouses and a wharf with a treadmill crane (completed in 1580). "It was all about companionship and camaraderie really," added Keith. He knows some have passed away but apart from his mate, Trevor Woodhouse, he is having difficulty in tracing some of them. Rifle Brigade who died 09/05/1915 RATION FARM MILITARY CEMETERY, LA CHAPELLE-DARMENTIERES France' Two years later the project was largely complete, with facilities provided alongside for gun mounting and mast rigging, as well as a victualling depot and a coaling area. 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 . Sheerness remained operational as a royal dockyard until 1959, but it was never considered a major shore establishment and in several respects it operated as a subsidiary yard to Chatham. They were the good old days,but,it is still a wonderful place to go and visit, I go often. More recent records are available from the Ministry of Defence via their website. For Joe, being in the dockyard was tradition. - 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. The Dock would be filled with all types of Naval ships, decked out with flags & crew dressed in their dress uniforms. var mydate=new Date() [38], The closure of Chatham Dockyard (along with the adjacent Naval Barracks) was announced in Parliament in June 1981 and scheduled to take place in 1984. Camaraderie and companionship was important to all Dockyard employees, the boys say. The yards have continued to be run by a mixture of civilians and sea officers. ), electric & acetylene welding and the Blacksmiths shop.In travelling along Dock Road my memories go back to the check-in booths where we were checked against our photo and a recent trip along Luton Road recalled the many hours spent at the Dockyard Apprentices Club.At one stage in my Naval career, I served as a Shipwright Training Instructor at H.M.S Caledonia at Rosyth in Scotland where the Naval Shipwright training was subsequently transferred I have many more memories, too many to relate here but I hope these will be sufficient to remind others reading this of happy times spent in the Dockyard.Wed Apr 1 19:45:59 2009, Chris Townsend - Now from ChathamI clearly remember visiting Chatham Navy Dockyard during the 1970s as a boy. 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). down the phone. 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. At the time of its closure the dockyard covered 400 acres (1.6km2). [130] During this time, Chatham Dept provided basic training for new recruits. From 1844 St Mary's was used as an 'Invalid Barracks', accommodating soldiers having to return from service in different parts of the British Empire because of illness, injury or age. 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).. There were 75 bays erected at Chatham Dockyard, to hold three years worth of timber. Bob Chalmers, from Warminster, Wiltshire, was part of the September 1964 intake and he is hoping to organise a reunion. Click on the series references in the table below to browse the record descriptions by year ranges: Visit the National Maritime museum Caird Library website for other sources.