# Sheerness and Chatham Dockyards [HMS Wildfire] in WW2



## smnco1937 (Jun 24, 2015)

Does anyone remember the Shore Establishment name for the Stokers and 'tiffies School at Sheerness?
Dad told me that at the beginning of the 1939-45 War, the School had a building ashore within the Dockyard perimeter, with classrooms and workshops, and three obsolete vessels as floating classrooms, permanently-moored in the corner of one of the basins.
Dad told me that when he went through that School during the Great War, he was on the books of "HMS Pembroke" - which surprised me because I'd thought the School was one of the historic out-stations for the "HMS Sultan" I was familiar with in the 1950's.


----------



## Enri (Jun 24, 2008)

Don't know if it was for training, but the name Wildfire sprang to mind.
Probably wrong, normally am.


----------



## LenT (Jun 28, 2008)

Don't know about Sheerness.
My G'father entered RN as a boy in 1894 and was always 'based' at Chatham, and I ve got his own record of service until he left in 1921. There is some subtlety about 'Pembroke' as the name of the Ship and the separate name of permanent barracks. A number of ships were used, but it seems they all adopted the name HMS Pembroke. I think this must have been standard RN practice. I found a similar anomaly when researching my mums uncle in the RAN in 1913 and onwards. Try 'googling' HMS Pembroke' Very interesting


----------



## McCloggie (Apr 19, 2008)

I believe HMS Pembroke was the main, barracks establishment in Chatham similar to HMS Nelson in Portsmouth and HMS Drake in Plymouth.

HMS Wildfire used to be the RNR unit in Chatham but if they took the name from a previous Chatham establishment or not I do not know.

McC


----------



## smnco1937 (Jun 24, 2015)

Thank you all for your responses, Every little helps.The two Dockyards were -as fara as I have researched so far - part of HMNB "HMS Wildfire I & II", encompassing the physical space of the two Dockyards at Chatham and Sheerness. I believe this was done during the Great War. The physical space also included other Establishments. HMS Pembroke was - as far as I can see - both the transit Barracks for personnel awaiting assignment, and an "Accounting Base" also containing the Drafting Office -"Drafty". If you were on HMS Pembroke's Books for accounting purposes, you didn't have to be "on-Base" physically. My father was posted to HMNB Osea Island [the secret CMB Base] for some months during the Gt. War - we have his diaries and some photographs relating the tale of his time there; - but his Service Record shows him first on the Books of HMS Sultan, and then "passing-out" to HMS Pembroke's Books. before being posted to his first ship - a 'C'Class cruiser attached the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron, working out of Harwich.


----------



## JohnGrace (Jan 20, 2006)

This may be of some interest :-http://www.queenboroughguildhallmuseum.btck.co.uk
There is a small museum in the Guildhall devoted to Wildfire. I understand that there is also a military memorial meeting, mid September, where ex Wildfire personnel,amongst others, gather in the small park nearby. Details on the above website.


----------



## Union Jack (Jul 22, 2009)

*Don't know if it was for training, but the name Wildfire sprang to mind.
Probably wrong, normally am.* - Enri

Not this time in my view, since according to Warlow it looks as if the name WILDFIRE, in the context Smnco refers to, applied from April 1889 to March 1933, then again from February 1937 until October 1947, when accounts apparently went to PEMBROKE, before finally paying off in April1950.

I also suspect that https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Wildfire is derived from Ben Warlow's book on Shore Establishments, which may be of interest if available, not least since it also gives the *original *names of what may well have been two of the obsolete ships referred to as NYMPHE and CORNWALLIS.

Jack


----------



## John Gurton (Apr 10, 2006)

If you visit Queenborough in your researches it would be worthwhile visiting the Bluetown Heritage Centre in Sheerness. Loads of photos and artifacts etc of Sheerness Docks during it's Naval past.


----------

