Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner. This study aimed to provide support for other, parallel, research on aspects of the contemporary labour market of the Isle of Sheppey. It focused on the Naval Dockyard which had dominated the labour market and the social life of Sheerness, the Island's principal town, until its closure in 1960. The interview material held here is made up of nine interviews, of which seven are transcribed, with retired dockworkers who describe many aspects of their long working lives at the Dockyard. This collection is not currently digitised and is available as a hard copy only. If you are interested in a project which involves the digitisation of this collection, please contact our Collections team at collections@ukdataservice.ac.uk. We'd be delighted to work with you in enhancing this collection. Main Topics: Dockyards; shipbuilding; labour and employment; occupational life; working experience; working conditions; apprenticeship; craftsmen; technological change; work history; families; households.

This cross-sectional (one-time) study used face-to-face interviews. A purposive selection/case studies was used to recruit dockyard workers on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent. Data included is in-depth/unstructured tapes and transcripts.