The Chatham Division: Introduction
HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Barracks at Chatham (see photograph to right), was built between the Steam Yard and Brompton barracks in the early years of the century. By the outbreak of the First World War Chatham had become one of the Royal Navy's three ‘manning ports' with over a third of the navy - 205 ships manned by men allocated to the Chatham Division - a role that was to continue until the advent of central manning in 1956.
Thereafter Chatham became home to the reserve - or standby fleet, although a number of operational ships were also based at the Dockyard including the Antarctic patrol vessel HMS Endurance.
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