Skip to content
Their Past, Your Future

Kingston Museum and Heritage Service

Home Front Jobs: Construction of landing barges at Gazes of Kingston, 1943

  • Show Whiteboard Version
  • Previous Image
  • Next Image
  • Save to My Resources
  • Full Gallery

© Kingston Museum and Heritage Service 2006

 

Many of the men we see in this picture had a reserved occupation. This meant they were skilled in a job (boat building here) and did not have to join the armed services. As well as working in their day job they would quite often be expected to work in the Civil Defence at night.

Q. Why was it important to have skilled workmen in a reserved occupation?

A. To produce military equipment and vehicles. In this case they were making landing barges, some of which were used on D-Day.