Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
8 December 2010
21:3183744The gunners used it for target practice during WW2 and it was not used after, then dismantled and sent to India in the 50s !! Probably still working knowing them
Been nice knowing you :)
Alec Sheldon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 18 Aug 2008
- Posts: 1,037
8 December 2010
22:5083754Some lovely nostalgic photos in this thread Colin. I'll bet the Flat Cap shop did a roaring trade in Dover, everyone seems to be wearing one.
Guest 694- Registered: 22 Mar 2010
- Posts: 778
9 December 2010
13:4683806thanks for that Kath, i liked the shots showing the damage in Snargate street, gave little old me a glimpse of what my ancestors were looking at when they used to be there.
Guest 673- Registered: 16 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,388
9 December 2010
14:5383809The vessel in the foreground of #20 is the bucket dredger Foremost 48, registered in London, built in 1929.
I am occasionally asked about the aerial ropeway by people on my ship because you can still see the concrete bases of the support masts at intervals along the Eastern Arm and also the two blocked off tunnel entrances in the cliff face in line with the Eastern Arm.
This dramatic Pathé film clip shows the 5,000 ton bunker on the end of the Eastern Arm and the aerial ropeway whilst under attack by the Luftwaffe in 1940:
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=25833Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
9 December 2010
15:0483810Mr Connell that was very good to see.Some time ago we had a film show at the kings hall and they had put all the old film clips of Dover in the war on .I would like to see that happen again.
Guest 673- Registered: 16 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,388
9 December 2010
15:2983811Hi Vic (call me Ed). There are masses of films of Dover on the British Pathé website above.
Can you resolve the question which Howard asks in #3 as it is puzzling me also. Would I be right in saying that the Packet Yard was the series of workshops which now comprise the central section of the De Bradelei Wharf shopping complex?
The document below refers to this complex in Section F "Wellington Dock warehouses and slipway, Dover" and states "Buildings 11 to 14 all belonged to the South Eastern and Chatham Railway and constituted the maintenance yard for the company's cross-Channel steam packets."
http://www.canterburytrust.co.uk/annreps/pdfs/1998/004.pdfGuest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
9 December 2010
16:2883814No the packet yard was next to the railwayline by the road bridge which goes over the line. There was two very big green wooden gates there ,the office was just inside on the left of the gates, it was very small and a small wiorkshop at the back of the yard,I done welding there at times when they had alot of work on,De Bradelei Wharf was the old DHB workshops again I did welding there, they would call me in if needed. I worked then for two companys H&B marine, and A MCKEEN eng company. The good old Days.
Guest 700- Registered: 11 Jun 2010
- Posts: 2,868
9 December 2010
16:4383816Bob echoes Vic's info, and says the packet yard was in Snargate Street by the road bridge.
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Lincolnshire Born and Bred
Guest 673- Registered: 16 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,388
9 December 2010
18:3183826Thanks Vic and Kath, have been wondering about that for donkeys years.
Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
- Posts: 4,150
9 December 2010
18:3483827I do remember the bus conductor on the double deckers along Snargate street shouting out `Packet Yard`, somewhere around where the road turns off for the swing bridge. I was frequently down there in the early 60s. Ed, again thanks for identifying that vessel and I`m about to view those Pathe clips mate.
Tell them that I came, and no one answered.
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
9 December 2010
23:4883863The yard was so small to work in,if there was more then 6men working at the same time you could not move. And in them days,if you was a welder that is all you could do, so I had to stand to oneside for the fitter to do his part,and no way was I allowed to help them.if I had done that .there woud have been a walkout,One day I could see that the fitter needed a lift so I went to help.up came the union man",Vic you can not do that,you are a welder and that is all you can do."So I had to just stand there and watch. Must say that did not go down well with me,I like to helpout.
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
10 December 2010
00:1883865COLIN,your post 18 yes you had to get inside some welding had to be done both outside and in,also in some gates inside they have steel plates across from one side the the other thay was to stop the water filling up the whole of the gate,and from time to time all the inside at to have a inspection in case of any repairs,I have done afew of them myself, not very nice welding inside them i can tell you,you had to have a mask on aswell.Also some times you had to replace the rivits and that also not a very nice job.I would burnout the old ones then we would heat up the new one they had to be white hot then put them in with a dolly on the end of a air gun and what a din no wonder I have bad hearing.
Guest 673- Registered: 16 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,388
10 December 2010
01:5983868Now that I know where to look, have found a plan of the Packet Yard on a long sheet depicting Snargate Street in around 1905.
A high resolution version of this is available on my fotopic site below. Open picture, scroll down and click "Full Size" box, then left click within picture. The rest of Snargate Street in 1905 is also depicted in sections in the same collection.
http://shipsintheportofdover.fotopic.net/p68383077.htmlGuest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
10 December 2010
09:1783878In the Budge Adams book, there is a 1991 colour pic of the Packet Yard being demolished.
Been nice knowing you :)
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
10 December 2010
09:4283884Mr Connell.Thank you for puting up the plan,nowyou can see how small it was,And the paint store was on the Street side,and I can tell you there was alot of paint in there,big tins of it,one match and the lot would have gone up,And all the Bottles of Gas were keep in the same yard as we were welding in. If there had been a fire, they would not have had to demolished it because the whole lot would have gone up and us with it.
Guest 673- Registered: 16 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,388
10 December 2010
16:3083932Mr Matcham. Thankyou for the information, very interesting. Also the input from Mr Wells, Mrs Hollingsbee et al has been invaluable in answering the question first posed by Mr McSweeney at the start of the thread in respect of the fascinating photos posted by Mr Pritchard.
Regards
Mr Connell
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
10 December 2010
17:2383948mr connell thankyou for your input.
Guest 673- Registered: 16 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,388
10 December 2010
17:3183950Thankyou Mr Dixon.
Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
10 December 2010
18:4283955Been nice knowing you :)
Guest 694- Registered: 22 Mar 2010
- Posts: 778
10 December 2010
21:3783989lol.. or as I address him.. Monkey boy!
