Introduction to Dockyards Workers’ Experiences: Naval Dockyards Society 2017 Conference Part 1

The 2017 symposium reflected a core aspect of the NDS, yet less well supported by members than the sailing navy era. Only eighteen delegates booked, plus the five speakers, one of our lowest attendance figures. Yet without the commitment and passion of former dockyard workers who have conserved and interpreted dockyard heritage and culture, the complexity and nuance of workforce life and practice would not be known, as few detailed research accounts are available.
Those who did not attend this Symposium missed five enthralling accounts of life as a dockyard apprentice in the post-war years and their subsequent advancing careers. As a slice of social history, it was both outstanding and hilarious. Singapore Dockyard, freemasonry, ladies’ tights and the Prince of Wales played an integral part (although not all at once).

It has always been known that a dockyard apprenticeship could lead to an illustrious career, but the biographies from Devonport and Chatham speakers evidenced clearly both their initial calibre and subsequent diligence. They also all reflected on the organisational changes which affected naval and dockyard administration during their careers and involved them in new management structures and technology.