The history of the Medway Towns is synonymous with the large-scale
military industrial complex that was centred on the dockyard, military
barracks and various fortifications. This has, over many years, provided
employment for the people of Chatham and Gillingham as well as Rainham,
Rochester and Strood, along with the service industries that were part
of the military-industrial complex. But the Medway Towns also had an
abundance of cement and brickworks, barge makers, breweries, engineering
workshops and clothing manufacturers. Among the household names were
Short Brothers of Rochester, manufacturers of seaplanes and RAF bombers,
while Strood was home to Aveling & Porter, whose iconic traction engines
still grace steam fairs across the country. Despite this heavy
industrialisation, the present-day Medway Towns, where houses and parks
now stand, were also an area rich in farmland, with the former village
of Luton as important for hop picking as anywhere in the county of Kent.
In a fascinating series of contemporary photographs and illustrations,
combined with a well-researched commentary, this book explores the life
of these five Kent towns, the nature of local employment and the impact
it had upon those employed to reflect the daily life of the Medway Towns
at work.
