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Bob Dowdell Memories
The 15th January 1951
started as a cold, dark Monday morning as 19 young lads who had recently left
school to begin their 5-year apprenticeship to the trade of shipwright in H M
Dockyard Portsmouth. This entry was unusual as the normal yearly entry was in
the September of each year.
But in 1951 there were to be 3 further
intakes of apprentices, two by examination and a further entry by interview.
Hence in 1951 there were entries in January, March, June and September
totalling some 80 apprenticeships. It can only be assumed that their Lordships
of the Admiralty foresaw a future shortfall of craftsmen causing the higher
numbers of apprenticeships in all trades.
The first year was spent in
the Shipwright Apprentice Training Centre, which was attached to No 1 Ship Shop
on the eastern side of No 2 Basin. Starting time was at 7 am with a break for
breakfast between 7.40am to 8 am. The lunch break was between 12 noon and 1pm.
Knocking off was at 5 pm. However, for one apprentice, who lived at Westbourne,
the coming months would start at 5:30 am for breakfast, a 10 minute walk to
take a bus to Emsworth for the train to Portsmouth Harbour station. On the 2
school days with evening classes he returned home at 8 pm. Each apprentice was
given a number and a clock card, which was used to clock in and out. The card
was used for payment on a weekly basis on Friday lunchtimes. Our first week's
pay, 1 week in arrears, was 29 shillings and 7pence (£1.48, today). We
were given lunch vouchers to redeem at one of the Dockyard canteens usually for
a Telfer's pie and chips.
Training during the first year was in woodwork
where we made our own toolboxes and tools, and manufactured ladders, brows,
hatch covers etc, for use in the Yard. We also assisted in making a model ship,
which was undertaken by our chargeman, Jack Turner. Our model was H M S
Dreadnought, the revolutionary battleship built in Portsmouth in 1906. The
model was approximately 5ft long.
During the second year we were split
into two groups, one group going to No 7 Boathouse to build 14ft dinghies and
the second group moved to the metalwork section of the training centre to do
sheet metalwork and basic ship construction on the mock up of the section of a
warship. Each group spent 6 months at each centre.
During this time we
had to spend 2 days a week attending the Royal Dockyard School, the subjects
included Maths, Mechanics, English and, Professional Subjects. We shipwrights
were instructed in Naval Architecture. A minimum of 2 years was spent at the
School and some went on to the 4th year to complete a higher standard of
academic studies. Also we had weekly lectures in the Yard compiling our Trade
Note Books, which were periodically scrutinised by the Foreman of the Yard in
charge of apprentices. Cryptic comments were made if your work was not up to
the required standard. This book was compiled during the whole 5 years of our
apprenticeships and contained a comprehensive account of how H M ships were
constructed.
During the 3rd and 4th years, we firstly spent 3 months in
the welding training centre learning the different techniques of how to weld
steel structures. We were then allocated to individual instructors in different
parts of the Yard including aircraft carriers, cruisers, frigates, destroyers,
submarines, small craft etc.
In the final years, experience in the MCD
(Manager Constructive Department) Drawing Office was given and also of Ship
Model experiments at Haslar, the Admiralty Experiment Works (AEW) at Gosport.
4th year Dockyard School apprentices were required to produce a Sheer Drawing,
Midship Section and Displacement Sheet as part of their Dockyard School final
Naval Architecture examinations whilst in the Drawing Office.
At the
conclusion of our 5 years, a successful practical trade test in the training
centre would result in the award of our indentures to the trade of Shipwright.
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