Themes

War, Women and Versailles

The logical conclusion to the arms race during the early 20^th century was war. The Dockyard stepped up its activity during the Great War which was fought from 1914 to 1918. In the early part of the First World War the Dockyard was still building new ships, such as HMS Iron Duke completed in 1914. In August 1914 she became the Flagship of Admiral Jellicoe, the Commander in Chief of the Grand Fleet, she then led the Royal Navy into the First World War. The Dockyard listed its labour costs and materials for completing Iron Duke in the Programme of Works for 1913-1914.

The Dockyard also undertook its more traditional wartime role of repairing battle damaged ships and damage caused by groundings and collisions. Later in the war, the Dockyard worked on conversion projects. Dockyard workers converted large liners into armed cruisers, light cruisers into aircraft carriers and armed merchant ships.

HMS King George V (fifth) built in Portsmouth Dockyard in 1911, fought in the Battle of Jutland between 31 May and 1 June 1916.

The Royal Navy and the German High Seas Fleet fought the Battle of Jutland. The inconclusive confrontation led to a change of tactics. The Germans changed tactic to unrestricted submarine warfare, a type of naval warfare in which submarines sink merchant ships without warning. The Dockyard's work increased as they installed armaments on merchant ships.

The Dockyard's production of guns and shells increased as during the war the country needed more shells and armaments than could be produced in civilian factories. The Dockyard factories took on some of that work. To keep up with this extra work, the workforce in the Dockyard increased from 15 000 in 1914 to 23 000 in 1918, including women because of the shortage of men who were needed to fight.

The shortage of men meant that over 1800 Women worked in the Dockyard during the First World War, undertaking a variety of jobs, including working lathes, planes, milling, engraving and buffing machinery. They also worked on cleaning, cutting and testing condenser tubes. Women during the War also cleaned air bottles for submarines and ships. They did general bench work and assisted the mechanics in cutting blades for condenser turbines. In the Boiler Shop they were engaged in acetylene welding, cleaning, picking, galvanising and testing boiler tubes.

The War ended with an armistice at the 11 hour of the 11 day of the 11 month - 11 November 1918. The Treaty of Versailles was signed on 28 June 1919 and dictated the terms of peace. Peace night was celebrated by Portsmouth town and Dockyard on 19 July 1919.