chatham dockyard old apprentices

Another member of the group, Brian Booker, 76, moved to Plymouth from Chatham in the South East and joined the dockyard in 1984, working there for six years before taking early retirement to care for his wife. Something went wrong, please try again later. For records of workers from the last 100 years you should start your search at one of the dockyard historical trusts or societies or at a local county or metropolitan archive. 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. We were one large family. Most significantly, Chatham's first dry dock was opened in 1581 (for repairing naval galleys). Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust holds very few records for either Naval or Dockyard Personnel. The majority of its buildings are still standing, several of them occupied by the Universities at Medway. 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. The officers all had servants, who were provided with their own accommodation in the garret. Tank Corps who died 28/04/1918 MARISSEL FRENCH NATIONAL CEMETERY France ' 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 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.. Set sail on a voyage of discovery through the Age of Sail at one of Britain's leading maritime herit . A lot of the group chose early retirement when the opportunity arose in the 90s and were looked-after with a salary, allowance and pension, they say. He was a shipwright apprentice at Flathouse Apprentice Training Centre with about 30 others. There was an Army hospital at Chatham too. Historic Dockyard Chatham | Chatham - Facebook This was a somewhat unusual . What's for dinner? Chatham Dockyard | Military Wiki | Fandom 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). Old royal dockyard hi-res stock photography and images - Alamy Apprenticeship Model Contract Form (0.22 MB) Application invited for "Empanelment of Third Party Agencies under the Apprentices Act, 1961" (0.34 MB) Programme for 106th AITT of Apprentices to be held in November, 2017- regarding (0.14 MB) NAPS Amended Guidelines (3.49 MB) 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 ' [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). [134], In 1928 Chatham Barracks was taken over by the Royal Engineers and renamed Kitchener Barracks. RMG48F6T - Second year apprentices of Babcock Royal Dockyard in Rosyth (l/r) Craig Miller, Leona Reid, Eileen Mallan and Eric Axford, hold aloft the new budget box (right) which they made for their local MP Gordon Brown, and the old Gladstonian case favoured by just about every one of his predecessors since the 1860, at the Treasury today (Weds). Nowhere in the world is it possible to see such an intact naval dockyard for the building and maintenance of the ships of the sailing navy as at Chatham. He said: "We built up a comradeship, we were virtually living together. The following terms appear in the records of pay: Click on the links below to search for a yard name, for example Woolwich, within the following series: Try searching by name or, otherwise, keyword in the various Navy Board records held inADM 106(1650-1837). The Black Yarn House to store the tarred yarn. Chatham (1567-1983) Deptford (1513-1869) Plymouth - from 1824 known as Devonport Dockyard (1690-present) . Captain Sir Thomas Bourchier, 20 September 1846 5 May 1849, Rear-Admiral A.L. [20], At the same time, moves were being made towards the application of steam power to ship propulsion. The southern building, Store House No 3, completed in 1785, is subdivided with timber lattice partitions as a "lay apart store", a store for equipment from vessels under repair. asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the number of apprentices that entered Chatham Dockyard in each of the years 1974 to 1977; and what is the projected number for 1978 (a) as craft entries and (b) as technician entries. The White Yarn House to store the yarn before it was tarred to prevent rot. The permanent residents were the dockyard men. The father-of-three, who lives with wife Jenny in Hoo, went into the building trade and kept in contact with a couple of the group. We collect and preserve objects related to the Dockyard's past and also carry out specific research into the Dockyard's rich and varied history. New positions were created such as inspector of steam machinery, as steam factories were attached to major yards. 1756 Chatham Lines built, to designs by Captain John Desmaretz (who also designed the Portsmouth fortifications). 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. (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). [17] In 1686 two new dry docks were built, in addition to the old single and double dry docks; all four were rebuilt and expanded at various points in subsequent centuries (the double dock having been converted into a single dock in 1703). Chatham Dockyard workers reunion | Greetings to all the Chatham At around the same time the officers' blocks on the terrace were given over to provide accommodation for sergeants and married NCOs, the officers being provided with new quarters 'near the fortifications at Prince Henry's Bastion'. ! The military hospital at Chatham at Fort Pitt. I became so attached to the place,(My Home Port!) Any pointers would be much appreciated. Mr Gray, who lives in Portsmouth, remarked on the differences which have taken place at the dockyard over the decades. Use our catalogue to search within the records series listed below. The ropery. 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. [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]. The records do not cover every yard in every year. 17781783 Further improvements were carried out, to the designs of Captain Hugh Debbeig at the bequest of General Amherst. [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. 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. [140] Built within the defensive earthworks to the north of Chatham, St Mary's Barracks was demolished in the 1960s and the land used for housing. Wed Aug 25 00:38:58 2004. Initially, soldiers were housed under canvas or else billetted in houses and inns, but from the 18th century barracks began to be constructed. If you walk into the Union Rooms on a Friday afternoon you'll meet all manner of people. Regards Roger Haffenden. It normally took place approx 4 . Another member of the group, John Gibson, 79 from Southway, joined the dockyard as an apprentice in September 1955. NOSTALGIA: Were you one of these Dockyard apprentices? Accommodating some 1,800 men, Chatham was one of the first large-scale Army barracks in England. His picture shows most of the apprentices in his year along with a few from other trades who helped build the float. 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. Chatham's yard was split in two, the area south of the Storekeeper's House becoming an Army Ordnance Store, and the rest a Navy Ordnance Store. Apprentices and masters. Some Great War periods covered in these newly-transcribed records: https://thedockyard.co.uk/the-collections/ledgers/. The chances of finding someone by name within this series are steadily improving as details are added to the online catalogue as part of the Navy Board cataloguing project. dailyinfo[18]=' J/71444 Ordinary Seaman John Dolby DIAPER H.M.S. [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'). [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.) NOSTALGIA: The mysterious case of the disappearing Portsmouth Guildhall, When Purbrook had three pubs within 100 yards - Nostalgia. Extended in connection with preparations for HMS, No 1 Machine Shop 1861. A lot of the 'boys' worked in the dockyard for over thirty years, from the 50s to 80s, but still remember their times fondly, as if they were last week. Under his supervision the site was developed to include sawpits, workshops, storehouses and a wharf with a treadmill crane (completed in 1580). 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 For Joe, being in the dockyard was tradition. The Dock would be filled with all types of Naval ships, decked out with flags & crew dressed in their dress uniforms. The northern building was used as a fitted rigging house, and a general store for equipment to fit out newly built ships. DavidWent to Navy Days, both as a toddler with my parents and later as 8-10 yr old with school friends. 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 . I spent a couple of nights in the dormitory blocks, before joining Diamond and had a lot of laughs. [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. ", Keith added: "I liked all our antics, [in the dockyard] you had to have a sense of humour.". Each member of the group was a recorder in the dockyard around fifty years ago, with some joining as young apprentices. [25] For the time being, however, marine steam engines were not manufactured on site but were ordered from Thames-based private contractors (along with other associated equipment). My best wishes go out to all my old friends. dailyinfo[6]=' 1894 Lance Daffadar MUR MUHAMMAD KHAN Mentioned in Despatches 1st Duke of Yorks Lancers (Skinners Horse) who died 06/05/1919 DELHI MEMORIAL (INDIA GATE) India ' dailyinfo[1]=' 61365 Private James LAVIN 1st Garrison Bn. 1st Floor North, Fitted Rigging House Before 1832 dockyards were run entirely by naval officers who were civilian employees of the Navy Board, not Admiralty sea officers. The attached document lists all Apprentices connected to the towns of Chatham and Rochester, the majority worked in the Chatham Dockyard between 1710 and 1811. 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. It was completed in 1903. Chatham Dockyard and its Defences is an outstanding example of a complete industrial military complex from the heyday of the age of sail (1700 - 1820) and the early period of the age of steam (1820- 1865). Buy from bookshop. var mydate=new Date() It remained thus until 1958 when the yards were closed (the Army depot having served latterly as an atomic weapons research laboratory). if (month<10) month="0"+month 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 . // Stop Define Variables for days of the month For a young lad it was always very impressive. [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. [127], In 2014 the site was sold to a property developer, with permission given the following year for the building of 295 homes. [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. In 1832 the Navy Board was abolished and all yards and establishments, except gun wharves, were amalgamated under a single authority.