I found this article on family records and wondered if you too would think that 17 would be too old for a ships boy.
I traced Robert Holbrook using the records here at The National Archives and found that he is mentioned in naval records. It seems that Robert Holbrook joined the ship 'the Orion' in 1805 as the ship's boy. The Orion fought in the Battle of Trafalgar having joined the main fleet off Cadiz in August of 1805. Surprisingly he was not the only young boy onboard; there was another ship's boy, eleven-year-old Thomas Tatler.
I have Robert Holbrook born 1788 and he was in the navy when he married. But would you think that he would have still been classed as a ship's boy at that age? Unless he was training his successor up? Any Naval experts out there please?
Thank you in anticipation.
I traced Robert Holbrook using the records here at The National Archives and found that he is mentioned in naval records. It seems that Robert Holbrook joined the ship 'the Orion' in 1805 as the ship's boy. The Orion fought in the Battle of Trafalgar having joined the main fleet off Cadiz in August of 1805. Surprisingly he was not the only young boy onboard; there was another ship's boy, eleven-year-old Thomas Tatler.
I have Robert Holbrook born 1788 and he was in the navy when he married. But would you think that he would have still been classed as a ship's boy at that age? Unless he was training his successor up? Any Naval experts out there please?
Thank you in anticipation.
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