Hidden Heroines – The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Hidden Heroines: the untold stories of the women of the Dockyard celebrates extraordinary women in Chatham Dockyard’s history who campaigned for change, fought against the odds and whose impact left a lasting legacy.

Featuring stories from the first ladies of the Spinning Rooms and Sail and Colour Loft to tales of women boarding warships masquerading as men and the invaluable female workforce that kept the home fires burning during two World Wars.

Brought to life in the No.1 Smithery gallery and through a supporting digital exhibition, Hidden Heroines brings together a fascinating collection of stories, objects and photographs for the first time.

Hidden Heroines: the untold stories of the women of the Dockyard has been created by a group of Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust’s ‘Women of Today,’ Helen Brown, Lynnette Crisp, Alexandra Curson and Victoria Mulford, along with a ‘Man of Today,’ Stephen Billington.