No, it’s not the name of a bunch of old boys who look after old boats and like to crack a few jokes over their cups of tea – it’s the name of a pub close to the historic shipyards at Chatham.
Most of us have come across pubs with names like ‘The Jolly Sailors’ or ‘The Jolly Farmers’ (though that makes me think of the rhyming slang) – and from the web I know that there are pubs called ‘The Jolly Anglers’ and ‘The Jolly Colliers’, but caulking seems a wonderfully specialist trade to celebrate. But why shouldn’t caulkers be jolly? Thirsty work, caulking. Cheers!