The Fog of November

A former shipwright recalls an incident at the Chatham Dockyard, when a dry dock holding a submarine was breached by the river Medway. This accident took place in a November, when there was thick fog. The tide went into the dock and “shoot the submarine out like a bullet”. People died and their bodies were later found in the mud.

This miniature piece is part of a collection of short compositions that make up the collective work Whispers of the Past.

The geolocated soundwalk ‘Whispers of the Past’ explores and presents stories from archives from men and women who worked at the Chatham Dockyard before it became a museum. We hear personal accounts, moving stories, descriptions, memories and anecdotes that become vivid and alive again through the voices of those who experienced them. The soundwalk was presented at the Chatham Historic Dockyard, a maritime heritage site, through the free downloadable Echoes app. As visitors moved across the site they triggered sounds and memories on their mobile devices creating new resonances with this iconic location.

This collection of short stories is commissioned by SparkedEcho as part of the Electric Medway Festival taking place between 21-30 August 2021.