# Half Boy



## treeve (Nov 15, 2005)

Has anyone come across this rating of 'half boy' for a crew member of a fishing smack in the latter part of the 19th century? The record shows the young lad was 11 years old when he joined the crew. I have been asked this question by Mark Tindle of the Fishing Heritage Centre of Grimsby. Best wishes, Raymond


----------



## joebuckham (Apr 1, 2005)

treeve said:


> Has anyone come across this rating of 'half boy' for a crew member of a fishing smack in the latter part of the 19th century? The record shows the young lad was 11 years old when he joined the crew. I have been asked this question by Mark Tindle of the Fishing Heritage Centre of Grimsby. Best wishes, Raymond


hi treeve

a real puzzler, but just had a little idea, maybe it stands for half _*share,*_ boy


----------



## treeve (Nov 15, 2005)

I was wondering ... along the lines of a 'ship's boy' being lowest hand, I wondered if it had anything to do with pay, as at 11 the young lad would to a great extent be a liability upon the other crew members, despite his obvious enthusiasm. After all 'boy' had no relationship to age (as far as I am aware). .... Ships were divided in ownership into 64 parts.


----------



## billblow (Jun 1, 2007)

Raymond
When I started work as a 14 year old boy two others started the same morning and I always remember the foreman saying "when you have one boy you've got one boy, when you have two boys you've got half a boy, and when you have three boys you've got none. I think I know what he meant.
Bill


----------



## joebuckham (Apr 1, 2005)

treeve said:


> I was wondering ... along the lines of a 'ship's boy' being lowest hand, I wondered if it had anything to do with pay, as at 11 the young lad would to a great extent be a liability upon the other crew members, despite his obvious enthusiasm. After all 'boy' had no relationship to age (as far as I am aware). .... Ships were divided in ownership into 64 parts.


from "a dictionary of sea terms" author a. ansted 
'half man,-a name sometimes given, in coasting vessels to a landsman or boy.'

from " sailors word book" author adm. w.h. smyth
'half-man,- a landsman or boy in a coaster, undeserving the pay of a _full man_'

not a great step from this to half boy


----------



## treeve (Nov 15, 2005)

Thank you - as I thought; I have to admit to not having seen the term used in crewlists, so far, but then, I have a lot yet to be seen !! I like the mathematical logic - wonderful 'old world' phsychology. Any more contribution to the idea would be welcome, of course ....


----------

