daggers Posted 6 August , 2008 Share Posted 6 August , 2008 This rank appears in the CWGC lists for H.L. Jones, lost with the drifter 'Seymolicus' in 1914. Is this a rank/title peculiar to the East coast ports, as I have not come across it before. Jones was 27, so hardly a ship's boy or similar. All clues welcomed as always. Daggers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Johnson Posted 6 August , 2008 Share Posted 6 August , 2008 http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mosmd/17cnav.htm They appear to me the younger sailors who went aloft - "foremast men". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daggers Posted 6 August , 2008 Author Share Posted 6 August , 2008 Michael Thanks for rapid reply - in fact it was 'up' before I knew my post had registered, as the whole system has been very sticky - must be the muggy weather. Younker seems a very old-fashioned term, but there it is. Daggers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Johnson Posted 6 August , 2008 Share Posted 6 August , 2008 Sailors are a pretty conservative lot. Take this tongue-in-cheek song by an ex-R.N. submariner: http://www.jsward.com/shanty/last_shanty.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wightspirit Posted 6 August , 2008 Share Posted 6 August , 2008 Hi Daggers According to a dictionary of archaic terms, a younker is a youngster. Dave W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daggers Posted 6 August , 2008 Author Share Posted 6 August , 2008 Michael Good stuff, but what is the tune? (I don't have any sound on my pc). Dave Yes, but he was 27! CWGC must have accepted the description for it to appear in their official version. Daggers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truthergw Posted 6 August , 2008 Share Posted 6 August , 2008 According to my dictionary ( SOE ), a boy or junior seaman aboard ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daggers Posted 6 August , 2008 Author Share Posted 6 August , 2008 I'll take the 'junior seaman' definition; thanks to all - something new every time! Daggers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrecktec Posted 13 November , 2009 Share Posted 13 November , 2009 Hi Guys What rank was a 'Younker' in the MM during WWI, what job did he do please? I have found a number of these and they all worked steam drifters. Cheers Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David B Posted 13 November , 2009 Share Posted 13 November , 2009 The only definition of Younker that I could find is that of a young man, so it may refer to a boy under training i.e. boy seaman David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted 13 November , 2009 Share Posted 13 November , 2009 Hi Ron, Per "Slang and Its Analogues Past and Present: A Dictionary, Historical and Comparative, of the Heterodox Speech of All Classes of Society for More Than Three Hundred Years. With Synonyms in English, French, German, Italian, Etc" (1904), page 377-378. (nautical) A Raw hand; in modern Naval usage = a Junior Officer -Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiegeGunner Posted 14 November , 2009 Share Posted 14 November , 2009 That sounds like a very interesting dictionary, Daniel. Do you have it in book form, or is it an online resource? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted 14 November , 2009 Share Posted 14 November , 2009 That sounds like a very interesting dictionary, Daniel. Do you have it in book form, or is it an online resource? Hi, It is available online via Google Books (downloadable too, if you want pdfs to consult at your leisure). The 7th Volume, from which I quoted, is available here: http://books.google.com/books?id=GfISAAAAI...;q=&f=false You can read all about the Yellow-Banded Robbers (aka Prince Albert's Somersetshire Light Infantry), and all such great things. Happy reading! -Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrecktec Posted 14 November , 2009 Share Posted 14 November , 2009 THanks Guys The only think that stumps me with is is all of the people referred to as a Younker, worked on Yarmouth steam drifters, so I wondered if it could be a local term, however Daniel may be right ? Cheers Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiegeGunner Posted 14 November , 2009 Share Posted 14 November , 2009 It is available online via Google Books (downloadable too, if you want pdfs to consult at your leisure). The 7th Volume, from which I quoted, is available here: Thanks Daniel. The only problem is that it doesn't seem to be downloadable in the UK. Could you perhaps e-mail me it in PDF form - I think you have my address. Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apwright Posted 14 November , 2009 Share Posted 14 November , 2009 Mick, Try here: http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=Sl...ction%3Atoronto Click on one, then in the "View the book" box on the left, right-click on PDF and "Save Target As". I've downloaded a couple from there with no problems, so should work for you. Thanks for the tip, Daniel! 7 volumes @ >50MB each (pdf) might be a bit much for Daniel to email! Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiegeGunner Posted 14 November , 2009 Share Posted 14 November , 2009 Many thanks, Adrian - downloading now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrecktec Posted 14 November , 2009 Share Posted 14 November , 2009 Been bugging me, however it is still not really clear. There are around five or six Younkers in my database and they all came from steam drifters at Yarmouth. Cheers Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
per ardua per mare per terram Posted 15 November , 2009 Share Posted 15 November , 2009 Have you tried contacting the local studies department for the area, in case they know of the term? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiegeGunner Posted 15 November , 2009 Share Posted 15 November , 2009 All the 'younker' references I can find seem to originate from Yarmouth, and most relate to the fishing industry, although the word does also occur in other contexts. The meaning is young man/lad. Etymologically, it's almost certainly related to the Dutch word Jonkheer/Jonker and the German term Junker, all with connotations of 'young gentleman' or 'esquire'. The name of the city of Yonkers in New York state has the same origin. I don't know about other parts of the country (or the world), but on the East coast and in Yorkshire, there's a habit of showing approval/encouragement to a 'young man with promise/prospects' by addressing him in terms (often above his present station) like 'young sir' or 'this young gentleman', and younker is evidently in a similar vein. If I had to put money on it, I'd say that younker was borrowed from the Dutch, near neighbours across the North Sea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrecktec Posted 15 November , 2009 Share Posted 15 November , 2009 Thanks guys It isn't really important, but after finding a lot of unusual 'ranks' or job descriptions in the CWGC listings, especially that one it had me curious. I know a fisherman at Lowestoft so I will see he he has heard of them before. Another one I came across, as well as a number of Indian jobs, was the Krooman who was a West African native seaman;) Cheers Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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