Dockyard day.

HMS Cavalier didn't seem as narrow as this when we explored her in The Historic Dockyard at Chatham today. We had a great time climbing up and down ladders in this 1944 destroyer. She sits in the Victory Dock where HMS Victory was built. This really is a historic dockyard! Normous and George also toured a submarine called Ocelot and learnt how to make ropes in the longest building in Europe.

While they were learning about ropes I got chatting to a Royal Navy archivist. I had taken with me a photocopy of my grandfather's service record. The archivist had the time of his life interpreting the record and explaining to me what it all meant. I learnt about the roles of the different ships grandpa had been on, his training schedule and how his uniform changed with his promotions. All this from a chance encounter with a volunteer who was painting the deck of the Cavalier!

More excitement was to come. Through the death of an uncle there came into my possession letters written home by my grandfather after his ship was torpedoed in the North Sea in September 1914. The letters give graphic descriptions of the sinking and the rescue. Over 1400 sailors lost their lives when the three cruisers were sunk. I felt that these letters were too important to take their chance so, having photocopied them and typed them out for the benefit of all the cousins, I sent them to Chatham Dockyard - all three cruisers were Chatham ships. Now on the occasion of the centenary there is an exhibition at the dockyard about Chatham ships and sailors in the First World War. Imagine the excitement when I discovered one of my grandfather's letters is on display! I was so pleased.

I'm not sure how much thirteen year old George appreciated the facts about his great great grandfather, but I had a brilliant day!