In the Royal Navy he was a Petty Officer who was in charge of boats, sails, rigging, colors, anchors and cordage . He superintended the rigging of the ship in dock. He was responsible for caning or whipping of defaulters. and it was his duty to summon the crew to work by a whistle. The boatswain's whistle is particularly shrill and could usually be heard above the noise of battle. It was later used to signal the boarding of officials and senior officers. It became a badge of office In the Merchant Marine he was the foreman of the crew and was sometimes also third or fourth mate. David ----- Original Message ----- From: "J P NIXEY" <jpnixey@btinternet.com> To: <HAMPSHIRE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, August 22, 2005 5:27 PM Subject: [Ham] boatswain > bob, I just checked on an online dictionary, and it says that a boatswain is > a Petty Officer on a merchant ship who controls the work of other seamen. > > regards, Jon > > > > -- > No virus found in this outgoing message. > Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. > Version: 7.0.338 / Virus Database: 267.10.13/78 - Release Date: 8/19/05 > > > ==== HAMPSHIRE Mailing List ==== > Turn over a new leaf - there might be a new ancestor hiding underneath > Visit the knightroots website at www.knightroots.co.uk >