HMS MERCURY - re-development

foreword by Godfrey Dykes

©RN Communications Branch Museum/Library

Foreward:
HMS Mercury's Re-Development - started in May 1967 and finished in the mid 1970's. The following has been cobbled together and covers three sections of the re-development. The first tells one what is going to happen in the future and shows the beginning of the clearance of Nissen huts; the second preceded by a photograph with numbers and related text, and the third, yet another numbered photograph and text leading to the near end of the re-development.

The redevelopment of HMS Mercury, for which £1.4 million has been funded, is now underway, and Communicators may be interested to learn what is going to be done.

Programme - The redevelopment is planned in phases as follows:

PHASE I
Sewage Farm Enlargement Drill Shed
Petty Officers’ Block
Five new Junior Ratings’ Blocks
Alterations to existing Ratings’ Blocks
WRNS Block
Victualling Block

PHASE II
Sick Quarters
Administrative Block
Instructional Block

PHASE III
Alteration to Leydene House
P and RT Centre
Church
Naval Stores and Estate Block
Alterations to the Garage Complex
New Tennis Courts and improvements to the Playing Fields
Captain’s Residence
Hobbies Centre

PHASE IV
Replacement of North Camp Classrooms Replacement of ‘X’ Section and Publications Section Offices.
New Assembly Hall

PHASE I
Phase I is firmed up with the final sketch plans agreed. The enlargement of the sewage farm is complete and construction of the Drill Shed commences this September. Construction work on the rest of Phase I starts in April, 1968 and the whole of Phase I should be completed by the end of 1970, when ratings' accommodation in Mercury will be right up to standard. The new Junior Ratings’ Block will be four storied with single cabins for Leading Hands, and dormitories for 6 to 8 for the rest. It will also include a TV room and a quiet room. The present blocks will have their bathrooms increased in size (except Sommerville and Cunningham), and recreation rooms built on top. Mountbatten Block is being altered to give the Wrens their own dining hall, the New Entries a lounge, a new NAAFI shop, and a larger barber’s shop re-arranged to allow more space at the west end of the block for CPOs, POs and Wren Senior Rates dining rooms served by one servery. The new Wrens’ Block will have sleeping accommodation and recreation rooms for all Wren ratings. Leading Rates and above will have single cabins, and junior rates will be six to a dormitory.

Sir Michael Carey commences the demolition of Nissen huts, 15th May 1967.

PHASE II
Phase II is planned to start one year behind Phase I. The Administration Block will house most of the offices now dispersed round the establishment, the cells and emergency party's dormitory. On completion of Phase II, the Main House will be clear of Wren ratings’ dormitories and offices. The new Instructional Block will replace the remaining Nissen hut classrooms, the garage classrooms, and the Exercise Wireless Office.

PHASE III
Phase III will get rid of all the remaining Nissen huts and concentrate all the miscellaneous stores and workshops into two buildings, provide a modern gymnasium with changing and bath rooms shared with a covered swimming pool (it is hoped to cover the pool earlier), more outdoor games facilities, car parking, garages and concentrate all the officers accommodation in the Main House. It is probable that the wings of the Main House will be pulled down and rebuilt, but the exterior of the rest of the house will remain as it is. It is not intended to alter the hall, dining-room, and ante-room. It is further hoped that by the end of 1972 all accommodation will be up to the standard and all Nissen huts and Siberia gone.

PHASE IV
Phase IV is in the very early stages of planning but embraces the replacement of semi-permanent buildings such as North Camp classrooms, the Cinema and High Trees. Money permitting, it is hoped that this will follow on immediately after Phase III.

THE REBUILDING OF HMS MERCURY

Written by the Commander

I thought that Communicators would like to know a few more details of the rebuilding of the establishment which has been mentioned in various articles and is now well under way. The programme has been divided into four main phases which should be completed by early 1975, and a further phase which is not due to start until 1978. A photograph of HMS Mercury showing the sites being developed is below.

KEY TO PHOTOGRAPH
1. POs Accommodation Block. (48 single cabins)
2. Wrens Accommodation Block. (Senior and Junior Wrens)
3. Junior Rates Accommodation Block.(ANSON)
4. Junior Rates Accommodation Block. (HAWKE)
5. Junior Rates Accommodation Block. (RODNEY)
6. Duty Party Accommodation Block. (ST VINCENT)
7. Third Instructional Block. (NELSON)
8. Drill Shed (Completed 1969)
9. Boiler House and FFO Tanks.
10. Civilian Canteen.
11. Motor Transport complex.
12. NAAFI Services Shop.
13. Sub Station for new ring main.
14. Captain's House.

PHASE 1
Started August 1969. Completes May 1972
Three junior rating blocks.
Petty Officers wing added to the Chief Petty Officers block.
WRNS building.
New Boiler House and heating system.
Modernisation of existing Junior Rates accommodation.
Modernisation and rearrangement of Mountbatten Block.
New NAAFI shop.
Drill Shed.
Supply Block comprising naval and victualling stores.

PHASE 2
Started February 1970. Completes May 1972 Third Instructional block.
Civilian canteen.
Motor transport complex.
Administration block.

PHASE 3
Starts February 1972. Completes December 1973 Sick quarters and dental surgery.
P & RT centre.
Estate stores.
MPBW & YSM compounds.
Additional tennis and squash courts and playing fields.

PHASE 4
Starts September 1972. Completes February 1975 Modernise Main House.
X Section & Publication Section move into Administration Annexe.
Annexe to Third Instruction block.
Church.

PHASE 5
Starts in 1978
Replace North Camp huts.
Replace cinema.

Work on Phase 1 is being carried out by Messrs F. J. Privett of Portsmouth and is well under way. During the past months the top of the hill has alternately been a quagmire or dust- bowl and residents of the School have had to put up with many tribulations and some discomfort. However some semblance of order should be restored by the time you read this.
With the exception of the new galley and servery equipment we expect work in Mountbatten Block to be finished in August this year and this will be followed in quick succession by the WRNS block, new junior ratings accommodation and Petty Officers wing about January 1971.

THE CHANGING FACE OF MERCURY

Written by the Commander

The last ‘round-up’ on the re-building of HMS Mercury was published in the 1970 Summer edition. Since that date a lot of the plans for the modernisation programme have come to fruition. For the benefit of those lucky people who will inevitably be passing through the Alma Mater in the years to come, the picture above, taken last January, shows how we have progressed. (Note: The figures in brackets below refer to the Key figures in the picture). All the Ships' Company Accommodation has now been built or modernised, in accordance with the current JSP scales, as follows:

New Build
Senior Rates (1) — As an addition to CPOs’ old accommodation block.
SOBERTON (2) — WRNS.
ANSON } HAWKE } - (3) — Junior Rates. RODNEY }

Modernised
9 Crescent Road Blocks (4)—KELLY Squadron.

There is a new Supply Block (5) which now accommodates all the Naval and Victualling Stores, which hitherto we had dotted around the Camp in very inadequate Nissen huts. This block also contains the Post Office, Daufman’s and J.loyds Bank. NELSON Block (6) was completed last year with the exception of the XWO which should be ready by January 1974, when the ‘grot’ in the woods will become a happy memory. NELSON houses the Officers’ Training Section and classrooms. the AT Trainer, Teleprinter classrooms and Frequency Laboratory, and will shortly accommodate the ‘Sight and Sound’ typing trainer. The Senior Officers’ Presentation Room adjoining the entrance to NELSON is a convenient sized auditorium (50 seats) which boasts a remarkable air conditioning system which freezes in Winter, boils in Summer, drips all over everybody and gives them something to drip about!
We now have a new Administration Block (7) in the area of the old garages (alas, the clock tower has gone!). It is a pleasantly designed building notable for its blue and grey vinyl tiles (the colours of the Signal Officers’ tie!), and contains all the offices which used to be around the gallery of Main House: the Pay Office, the Manpower Allocation Control Centre (ex-RCC), the CPC and WRNS Admin offices. The building runs North/Souih — the Northern end containing the OOW complex (including three palatial cells) which faces onto the Droxford Road. The Southern entrance leading to the Senior Staff offices has on its walls the name boards showing the previous Captains of the Signal School and also the original crest (Equal Speed Charlie London) which used to be above the entrance to the old HM Signal School, Portsmouth.
Perhaps the most dramatic improvement to the appearance of Mercury is the Droxford Road, which has now been widened and looks quite couth, now that the landscaping around the blocks is becoming well established.

The Future
Work has already started on the construction of a new P & RT Centre, covering of the swimming pool and a new Medical/Dental Centre; all in the area (8) in front of Mountbatten Block (9). The money for the covering and heating of the swimming pool is being provided from the Sailors’ Fund. These buildings are due to be completed in mid-1974. An all-weather sports pitch and two hard tennis courts will shortly be laid on the area of the old Field Gun track below SOBERTON block (10). This will greatly improve our sports facilities throughout the year.
Demolition of North Camp (West) starts in August and a new building will be erected there to house the RN Unit from Tangmere, due for completion by the end of 1974.
In 1974, concurrent with the modernisation of Main House, it is planned to build new Naval and Civilian Estate Stores, a DOE/YSM building and two new Squash Courts in the area of the old nissen hunts and pig farm (11). It is planned to demolish these huts this Summer with the exception of the Main cinema, Church and Church Hall which will remain for years as a memorial to the old Mercury we knew'.
Mercury is therefore nearing the end of its traumatic ’face-lift’, undoubtedly these enormous improvements will enhance our enjoyment of what must surely be one of the most pleasantly situated Naval establishments in Britain.