Trainee`s

[castle261]

No Dave, another man trained steam drivers. I went to him to pass out on steam myself.
Strange, behind the crane 4414 (see kyn site) on No 2 dock, was the crane I trained on.
Then I was sent to No 2 basin where the driver was to retire, in a few days. That was a
training crane, with the one on No 2 dock. I was thrown in, at the deep end -- in 1953

I went back to kyn site on ` Chatham Dockyard ` where MIKE B posed a question, about
two other cranes on the same site, No 2 Dock. Right behind the No 10 crane ? (4414 )
is a Portal crane named after the RAF Chief Lord Portal. These cranes were meant to be
used, where cranes was needed. They were run by Diesel motors, independent from a
ground source. The hot plate was to heat water for tea and heating, some were adapted
 as ovens to heat meals. The metal clamps on the crane were there to dog down, every
 night to the rail track - `Portal `cranes were used - on Mulberry harbours - from D- Day.

I counted 29 dockside cranes --- I have remembered 58 drivers from 1953 --- 1984
That is without traveler drivers - inside `shop`-- or saw mill.

[DaveTheTrain]

Did you train on the steam cranes also, castle26? 

[castle261]

As a Crane Driver, my work included training other men to be crane drivers. I had many, my first
was a small man. I had to make a small stool for him to look out of the window. first of all. I showed
him the controls and how to use them. We got talking, when I took over, to get rid of the backlog of
work. He said he was a `free lance grave digger ` he explained about his job. He spoke of digging,
then when he said he measured each corner, to see if it was square. I interrupted him then`why do
you need to see if it is square, surely he or she will not complain, if it is not `. ` No, but the Cemetery
Inspector will. if it is not square. He got through his six weeks of training, & passed. The next two
I trained, only to find out, their boss sent them to the dockyard, just to learn `how to drive a crane`.