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.Wed Apr 8 12:02:25 2009, Ron EdwardsI am 82 years of age and was a Naval Shipwright Apprentice (Dockyard number 21413) in Chatham Dockyard from 1941 until 1945. The northern building was used as a fitted rigging house, and a general store for equipment to fit out newly built ships. [141], The Naval Barracks (later HMS Pembroke) opened in 1902; prior to this, most Naval (as opposed to Dockyard) personnel were accommodated on board their ships or on hulks moored nearby. Just ties. Apprenticeship Home [28] In 1860 the dockyard's policing was also transferred to the new No.4 Division of the Metropolitan Police, which remained in that role until 1932. Another top story for the boys is the countless times in 1960s and 70s when their friend would randomly phone a phone box on the site, says Keith Dowrick, 82 from Keyham. [132], A Royal Commission of 1861 (set up in the wake of the Crimean War to improve the sanitary condition of Britain's Army barracks and Hospitals)[133] was scathing in its judgement of facilities at Chatham; in the years that followed several alterations were made to Chatham Barracks (which had changed little over the preceding century): an additional storey was added to several of the barrack blocks to help alleviate overcrowding, and new buildings were inserted among the old, containing improved facilities for cooking, washing and recreation. Welsh Regiment who died 31/03/1918 KARASOULI MILITARY CEMETERY Greece ' Regularly taking the mickey out of each other, the group told Plymouth Live that it was crucial to have a good sense of humour. Captain of the Dockyard's House 19th century. [10], From the very start of the 18th century, however, Chatham began to be superseded in both size and importance, first by Portsmouth, then Plymouth, when the main naval enemy became France, and the Western approaches the chief theatre of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. Anchor Wharf, The Historic Dockyard, Our Collections Team has recently begun the process of digitising our collection and we are gradually adding new objects to our digital resources. We place some essential cookies on your device to make this website work. 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. Our Education Directory has everything you could possibly need! We'd like to use additional cookies to remember your settings and understand how you use our services. Ron Edwards. seaJane. MDL Apprentice Training School, Certificate Distribution of ''Supervisory Development Program'' for Graduate/Diploma Apprentices under the Apprentices Act, 1961 - 16.03.2023 . Chatham (1567-1983) Deptford (1513-1869) Plymouth - from 1824 known as Devonport Dockyard (1690-present) . Chatham Dockyard (Apprentices) - Hansard - UK Parliament dailyinfo[15]=' 6963 Private Albert CHRISTIE 1st Bn. 307th Bde. 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. National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. At the same time, the nearby village of Brompton began to be developed to provide housing for the dockyard's growing workforce. I later transfer to The Foundry and on it's closure I was sent to the training school in Kyber Road to train as a Engine Fitter. [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). [143], Media related to Chatham Dockyard at Wikimedia Commons. 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. "Killingholme" Royal Naval Air Service who died 27/04/1916 CHATHAM NAVAL MEMORIAL United Kingdom ' Now, around ten 'old boys' meet every six weeks in the Union Street Wetherspoon to laugh about the old times. [41] The Georgian site is now a visitor attraction under the care of the Trust: Chatham Historic Dockyard. [110], On 5 September 1971 all Flag Officers of the Royal Navy holding positions of Admiral Superintendents at Royal Dockyards were redesignated as Port Admirals. seaJane11 June , 2020 in Sailors, navies and the war at sea. The site was expanded and rebuilt in the 1860s; in 1905 the Royal Marines took over Melville Barracks, which stood between Dock Road and Brompton Hill (it had formerly served as Chatham's Royal Naval Hospital). [139], St Mary's Casemated Barracks were built during the Peninsular War and initially held French prisoners of war. Chatham Naval Dockyard, Kent. Most significantly, Chatham's first dry dock was opened in 1581 (for repairing naval galleys). In almost all cases you can only search by yard or ships name, not by a persons names. Chatham Dockyard | Military Wiki | Fandom Welsh Regiment who died 30/04/1916 MERVILLE COMMUNAL CEMETERY France ' dailyinfo[23]=' 20589 Corporal Elias JONES Distinguished Conduct Medal, Military Medal and Bar 14th Bn. 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. His picture shows most of the apprentices in his year along with a few from other trades who helped build the float. The first was by exam and accounted for about 125 apprentices and what was called the . I spent a couple of nights in the dormitory blocks, before joining Diamond and had a lot of laughs. 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 barracks remained in military use until 2014. The Trust is preparing an application for the Dockyard and its Defences to become a World Heritage Site. 10,499 / mo*. Chatham House - Furnished Residences for Boys near Marathahalli Pembroke Royal Navy who died 18/04/1918 GILLINGHAM (WOODLANDS) CEMETERY, KENT United Kingdom ' The storehouse would have furnished ships with such necessary consumables as rope, pulleys, sailcloth and timber. DavidWent to Navy Days, both as a toddler with my parents and later as 8-10 yr old with school friends. dailyinfo[9]=' 3094 Rifleman James William NEWELL 2nd Bn. The indenture was a contract signed by the apprentice, the parent / guardian and the Admirality on satisfactory completion of a 3 month probation period. 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. Bob Chalmers, from Warminster . Lancashire Fusiliers who died 25/04/1915 HELLES MEMORIAL Turkey (including Gallipoli) ' 93rd Infantry Bde. For Terry Hoare being an apprentice shipwright at Chatham Dockyard 60 years ago were the best days of his life. From projects focused on Dockyard workers to the tragedies suffered during the First World War, we are building up a picture of the role and impact the Dockyard has had over four hundred years. After the war's end, they went on to serve as a gunpowder store for a time, and were used by the Royal Engineers (based nearby in Brompton Barracks). We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. PDF This list of apprentices, both craft and technician, was extracted from The dates shown represent the tax paid by the Masters for their Apprentices. The 1964 intake of Dockyard apprentices who built the old woman's shoe, of nursery rhyme fame, for Southsea Carnival. We, as a family, would travel up from East Kent to attend the dockyard when they had a 'Navy Days' event. If you have memories of Chatham in the Dockyard's heyday then tell us your stories. He knows some have passed away but apart from his mate, Trevor Woodhouse, he is having difficulty in tracing some of them. This is the oldest surviving naval building in England. There was an Army hospital at Chatham too. [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. Greetings to all the Chatham Dockyard Apprentices that began their long journeys 65 years ago on the 10th September 1956 and are still standing,as well as those before and after. Mike tells me that last year he won the top award in the Society for All Artists, Artist of the Year competition. The records covered are for yards in the UK and abroad. [137], The Royal Marine Barracks, Chatham were established in 1779, on a site nestled between the Gun Wharf to the west, the Dockyard to the north, and Infantry Barracks to the east. Back in the day, the gentlemen, who are aged between 79 and 86, were pranksters! Today the range of buildings and structures . dailyinfo[3]=' 3747 Flight Serjeant Reginald Tom PARRY Air Force Medal 15th Aircraft Acceptance Park Royal Air Force who died 03/05/1919 WELSH NEWTON (ST. MARY) CHURCHYARD United Kingdom ' [32] (The older slipways, by contrast, were proving much too small and they were mostly filled in around this time, their covered areas being put to alternative uses.) CHDT Researchers - Apprentices Until 1814 timber was cut by pairs of men, one above and one below the log. Anchor Wharf Store Houses 17781805 (at nearly 700 feet [210m] long) are the largest storehouses ever built for the navy. One barrack block remains from 1757; the rest was largely demolished and rebuilt to a more modern design in the 1930s50s. Some Great War periods covered in these newly-transcribed records: https://thedockyard.co.uk/the-collections/ledgers/. Those for the officers were placed in a single row on elevated ground to the east, accessed from the parade ground by way of a double ramp; they provided housing for two field officers, twelve captains and thirty-seven subalterns. [20] Much of the excavation and building work had been done by convict labour (a convict prison having been built to the north of the dockyard, with the expansion project in mind, in 1853). 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. 20,900 were here. Royal Welsh Fusiliers who died 23/04/1918 WARLOY-BAILLON COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION France ' Each has an 18th-century, Main gatehouse 1722, designed by the master shipwright in the style of. 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 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. Brewer: August 1980 August 1982. On March 31, 1984, Chatham Dockyard closed its doors forever, ending 414 years of history. Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited Tank Corps who died 28/04/1918 MARISSEL FRENCH NATIONAL CEMETERY France ' 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. The annual intake was usually restricted to ten applicants and we were required to attend the Dockyard School for three years and pay a weekly visit to the Royal Navy Barracks gym and swimming pool for training sessions by naval personnel.Our apprenticeship covered many departments including the Boat House, Mast House, Drawing Office, Joiners Shop, Paint Shop, Plumbing, Ship Repairs (rivetting, caulking etc. His last job was working on the Royal Navy submarine HMS Dreadnought. In addition, the Medway had begun to silt up, making navigation more difficult (especially as the Navy's ships were getting larger). [9] In the years that followed the ground was prepared, accommodation was secured and in 1570 a mast pond was installed. (At around the same time a victualling store was also established, in nearby Rochester, to provide the ships and their crews with food.) We regret that The Historic Dockyard Chatham is unable to carry out personal research on your behalf. Wed Apr 8 12:02:25 2009. My grandad was an electrician working on the submarines and my dad was an engineer. [130] During this time, Chatham Dept provided basic training for new recruits. Crash Out On Cavalier Overnight Stay Experience. How the military presence developed after 1820, showing how the need for housing gave birth to New Brompton, and showing roads and railways. It remained thus until 1958 when the yards were closed (the Army depot having served latterly as an atomic weapons research laboratory). It really did feel like one big family with a happy atmosphere. Terry Hoare at home in 1963 during his apprenticeship at Chatham Dockyard. ", Keith added: "I liked all our antics, [in the dockyard] you had to have a sense of humour.".