Hello Chatham Dockyard., I was transferred from The Royal Naval Dockyard at Malta to the Royal Naval Dockyard at Chatham in 1955, as an indentured Electrical Fitter Apprentice. I attended the Chatham Dockyard school and worked at many localities in the Dockyard, The head of the Dockyard school was Mr. Hutchinson and there were Mr. Ferguson and Mr. Fearless and so many others including Mr Milner whom I knew in Malta and met again at Chatham high street, near Hepworth' tailor. I lived at 30, Boundary Road, I used to go dancing at the Odeon in Gillingham every Saturday. I was the Captain of Chatham Dockyard football team and we played Sunday league. It was during one of these games that one old gentleman from Chatham, seeing us play, came to me and said, " Carmel why don't you go to University, as Chatham Dockyard will soon close down as Lord Louis Mountbatten will not succeed in stopping the closure". I went to speak to Mr. Ferguson and Mr. Fearless about it, and while I was following my Ordinary and Higher National Certificates in Engineering, they told me that the Dockyard School will arrange for Cambridge University to send the O and A level examinations papers for me to do at the Dockyard, with the school being my invigilator. It had never been done before and Cambridge University gave this concession to the Dockyard school to allow me to proceed ahead, On the foundations of what I learnt at the Dockyard School , at the same sitting, in the same year, I passed the O levels, in English, Maltese, Italian, French languages, Pure and Applied Mathematics, Physics, Drawing, Engineering Drawing, and the three Advanced levels in Physics, Pure Mathematics, Applied Mathematics. With my Dockyard Apprenticeship and practical experience and Dockyard School Certificates, and the O and A levels, which the Dockyard school arranged for me to sit , I was accepted at many British universities, but I chose to attend the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne , which had just open its doors as a new University. My other choice was Nottingham. At Chatham Dockyard I worked in the Electrical Main Shop, the Gun control shop, and I was the one who maintained those three bridges separating the three basins at Chatham Dockyard, where once I had to do it extra fast on a Sunday, as one of the ships had its sailing orders to leave Chatham in a hurry. I worked on HMS Exmouth, the first British gas turbine ship with two Proteus and one Olympus jet engine, HMS Fort, and also at the Drawing office I prepared the " Proposal" and the " As Fitted Electric drawings to the O class submarines. The control panel shown at 2:50 was my own design and I remember having a quarrel with the Chef draughtsman Mr. Skelton about it, Mr. Underdown, who was the Chief Engineer at Chatham gave me a hand in getting my senior draughtsman to accept my complex drawing, and not only the " third angle projections" which would not suffice to show the details I required. I also worked on the analogue computer controlling the homing torpedoes processing the signals received from the phase array of 22 sound transducers on either side of the ) class submarine and also the S class, If I remember correctly. Before I worked at the Drawing Office I spent about two years working on the cryptographic machines the KD-5 if I remember correctly and these were American Machines which had all the alphabets and numerals on a spinning disc and paper tape was printed by a very fast relay getting its power from a time phased signal from the keyboard. It was complex but I enjoyed it. That was my initiation in the University teaching career when I was told to teach the Naval Commanders about the coding systems used in those days, We also had spherical heads on tele-printers which changed location and rotated the head. they were fascinating. I am an old man now, but if I had to come to Chatham, knock on the old Dockyard doors down the hill where that bus unfortunately had a fatal incident and about fourteen children were lost, will you let me in and host me around, I spent many days in that shed where HMS Victory was built.
@OurWorldForYou6 ай бұрын
Carmel, Firstly, we are not Chatham Dockyard's official channel - that's @dockyardchatham2212 (www.youtube.com/@dockyardchatham2212) However, I am so glad you enjoyed our video, and that led you to share your amazing story with us. Hopefully, the media team at the dockyard will respond, and when you return to England, they will be able to host you. A brief Google search reveals you have many more exciting stories to share. Are you the same Carmel Pule who, along with your wife Elizabeth, knew the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip? Once again, thank you so much for stopping by and recounting your story; it was truly fascinating. All the very best, Gary & Janis
@joyceknutson89359 ай бұрын
So beautiful, how I wish I could return to this fantastic place…
@OurWorldForYou9 ай бұрын
It's a wonderful place; we need to head back one day soon; it's only 10 minutes from us, so no excuse really, and it's a lovely day out. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment; all the best, Gary & Janis
@jillpoyton69732 жыл бұрын
I just booked a table at the Command House, knowing nothing about Chatham. On doing a search for things to do in Chatham and I came across this video. THANK YOU so much for such a useful video, will definitely make time to visit and thanks for the tip about the ticket lasting all year.
@OurWorldForYou2 жыл бұрын
Jill, that sounds fabulous; I hope you have a great day. I know since filming that some features have changed due to the pandemic. However, I know they have also added new features since we last visited so we are looking forward to heading back. Once again, we hope you have a wonderful time, all the best Janis & Gary
@evanderer2 жыл бұрын
been to Portsmouth for a week , now Chatham is my next destination from Belgium
@OurWorldForYou2 жыл бұрын
Alain, please check I believe Chatham Historic Dockyard is now shut for the winter.
@evanderer2 жыл бұрын
@@OurWorldForYou thanks to you my frend i l go to Chatham next year i may 2022 i love that period
@OurWorldForYou2 жыл бұрын
Alain, that would be great - What part of Belgium are you from?
@evanderer2 жыл бұрын
@@OurWorldForYou Waterloo 15 miles south of Brussels
@OurWorldForYou2 жыл бұрын
Alain, we've been to Waterloo - climbed the mound, visited the museum. way back in 2006. An important part of our European history
@johnmay2319 күн бұрын
HMS GANNET once served as T.S.MERCURY located at Hamble and which I atteneded Sept 1949 (age 12) - December 1952(Age 16) My number 3938 jm vancouver canada
@OurWorldForYou18 күн бұрын
Hi John, So, did that lead to a life on the ocean wave and lead you to a life in Canada? We haven't been down to Pompey way in some years, although Janis spent her childhood there as the family run a little B&B in Shanklin for a number of years after a life in London. We do need to head back to the Isle of Wight, has to be something for next year. All the best, Gary & Janis
@johnmay2318 күн бұрын
@@OurWorldForYou I went to sea as an apprentice ..for (4) years..sailing world wide...!!! after qualifiyng sailed as 3rd+2nd+1st mate/s + master ( skipper) in 1967 was recruited by a Canadian company and immigrated to Montreal,Canada with wife & three kids .......gave up going sea !!! in 1968 I was trasnsferred to Japan - where spent seven(7) years then two (2)years in Hong Kong -then six(6 years in San Fraancisco + two(2) years back in the UK ( lived in Waldershhare) near Dover ..Then back to Canada.... Been here ever since ... Your comment/question ref Eirth We were "evecuated " :when the 1sr V-1;s ('DOODLE BUGS/BUZZ BOMBS) stared to arrive as they landed initially( lots of them !!!!! ) in the Folkestone-Dover area and I suppose the idea was to move away from the coast ..but it was naive to think that the eventual target was London....and of course they did get there ! My btoher was killed on Aug 3rd .1944 ......one day before his 4th birthday. D-Day was June 6th 1944 but the V-1' we still being launched - from Northern France and Belgium.....followed later by the V-2's ..... regardds john m
@OurWorldForYou17 күн бұрын
Hi John, Firstly, so sorry to hear about your little brother - another side to the horrors of war, the innocents. Erith seemed like an odd choice being on the banks of the Thames, officially still in Kent then, but so close to London. My late father used to tell of his childhood getting chased off bomb sites, and once got a whipping after he was caught at the site of the wreckage of a V1 trying to salvage a little bit of memorabilia. That would have been in Welling, not too far from Erith. We just got back from the British Normandy Memorial, overlooking Gold Beach, with Juno to our east, the Canadian beach. Sounds like you'd has a life. I (Gary) was born in '67, and you were just settling down. We've been to Hong Kong ('97), San Francisco ('02 & '06) and Montreal ('10) but Japan is still on the wish list, and never been to Western Canada, still there's plenty of time. You are lucky to have seen so much and experienced so much; I'm struggling to understand what life in Japan for seven years would have been like in the late '60's. I think we're all a little spoilt these days. Anyway, lovely to hear from you, All the best, Gary & Janis
@johnmay2317 күн бұрын
@@OurWorldForYou Hello , how are you,well I hope ( Konichi-wa o-genki deska ?) Japan - - living in Yokohama-commuting daily to Tokyo( with 2.o million others)......... - Learned the language ( required !!!!..I had 15 Japanes employees - all UNI graduates / fluent in English ) - We ( wife -whos is English... born in Folkestome) and our three kids ( UK born) all speak Japanese-they were educated in Yokohama - -It was an unforgettable and rewarding experience - both living and working there. - I was responsible for Japan.Korea,Taiwan ,Hong Kong,Thailand.Phillipines.IndonesiaMalaysia & Singapore and later (from 1971) China - Clocked up 1000's of AIR MILES as you can imagine I think Japana is a little different these days but I think the culture remains underneth the "glitz and glamour" of so called western (mainly USA) culture influence. We witnessed (and lived ) the changes between 1969 and 1976 and we n oticed it in. 1984 - the last time we vistited. regards john m my e-mail " eurocdn@aol.com "