The Pier At Gillingham

A Memory of Gillingham.

I was born and bred in Gillingham spent most of my childhood at the pier. This all started when I was about six or seven year old. My grandfather William Smith worked as a coxswain on one of the two NAFFI boats that worked out from the Admiralty Pier. The Admiralty Pier was situated on the eastern arm of Gillingham pier.
They would load up with vitals on the end of the dummy pier. This dummy Pier had two levels, the top level and a bottom level. There was a slide on the top level leading to the bottom level, much like a kiddies slide but much bigger, they would slide the boxes of vitals down from the top to the bottom level and load the boats from there, this was done from low water on a rising tide ( this part of the Pier can still be seen) NOT FOR MUCH LONGER.
They would then proceed out to the Frigates and Destroyers mored in the river to off load their goods.

As I said, I was about six, or maybe seven when my Grandad first took me out for a trip on the NAAFI boat, we went to Sheerness, we off loaded some vitals for a waiting War boat, this war boat looked enormous to me, but it must have been quite a large one owing to the fact it was mored in the mouth of the river Medway off of sheerness, rather than nearer Chatham, I seem to remember someone saying it was a battle wagon.

These were exciting times for me, from that moment on wild horses couldn't stop me going down the Pier, even at that age.
My Grandad also had his own Boat and was a member of the Medway cursing club which was located to the South of the admiralty Pier, he was the boatman for the club. The club boat was located on the admiralty pontoon which was anchored to the east side of the eastern arm of the Pier with huge chains.

My old Grandad would sometimes take me out in his motorboat on a Sunday morning, we would go out to the marshes shooting and he also collected driftwood which he would latter take home and chop up into firewood and sell to his surrounding neighbours for 6d (that's got some of you) a sack full.
I do remember on one occasion going to what is now Kingsnorth power station, it was then a field full of sheep or cows, we went there to collect wild mushrooms, I remember this bloke on a bike, he came hurtling along the sea wall after us and dear old Grandad shouted at me, run like hell, I guess we were trespassing. Good old days.