on the Promenade in Swansea
Mon May 27, 2013 8:18 am
natives of Swansea in South Wales are known as "Jacks", two possible origins for this nickname have been put forward.
The first is a reference to the high reputation of local seamen ("Jack Tars") in the early nineteenth century. During the early 19th century, sailors from Swansea were extremely well respected and renowned for their hard work and mariner skills.
It was for these reasons that they were seemingly allowed to join any crew based simply on the town's reputation for great seamen. Their nickname "Swansea Jacks" was born from their apparel which was jack tarred in order to provide some protection from the harsh elements of the sea. This is the oldest know account of the term "Swansea Jack" and therefore affords great credence as the source for the modern day reference.
The flaws in this argument for me is that I can find no record that Swansea, South Waleian or even Welsh sailors were considered better than any other sailor. The term "jack tar" has long been applied to sailors in general and "jack tarred apparel" is a bit of a weird one - the tarring of jackets is known to have been used by sailors to stormproof them, but I am unaware of any shortening of jacket to jack. However the term "jack" does appear in naval terminology and slang - the jack is a pennant flown at the rear of the ship (union flag, and the pennant version is the union jack), the slang appears to be the rat-tail/pony tails often worn by sailors (historically) - possibly related to slang for the penis.
Etymology 2
There was a famous black retriever called Swansea Jack who rescued no fewer than 27 people from drowning in the River Tawe and Swansea Docks during the 1930s. Swansea Jack was born in 1930. He lived in the North Dock / River Tawe area of Swansea with his master, William Thomas. Jack would always respond to cries for help from the water, diving into the water and pulling whoever was in difficulty to safety at the dockside. His first rescue, in June 1931, when he saved a 12 year old boy, went unreported. But a few weeks later, this time in front of a crowd, Jack rescued a swimmer from the docks. His photograph appeared in the local paper and the local council awarded him a silver collar. In 1936, he had the prestigious 'Bravest Dog of the Year' award bestowed upon him by the 'Star' newspaper. He received a silver cup from the Lord Mayor of London and he is still the only dog to have been awarded TWO bronze medals ('the canine V.C.') by the National Canine Defence League. Swansea Jack died in October 1937 after eating rat poison. His burial monument, paid for by public subscription, is located on the Promenade in Swansea near St.Helen's Rugby Ground.
This, to me, seems a more likely origin given the national coverage of "Swansea Jack"s bravery and his receipt of awards . CCFC
2-1 TO CITY ME THINKS, 
The first is a reference to the high reputation of local seamen ("Jack Tars") in the early nineteenth century. During the early 19th century, sailors from Swansea were extremely well respected and renowned for their hard work and mariner skills.
It was for these reasons that they were seemingly allowed to join any crew based simply on the town's reputation for great seamen. Their nickname "Swansea Jacks" was born from their apparel which was jack tarred in order to provide some protection from the harsh elements of the sea. This is the oldest know account of the term "Swansea Jack" and therefore affords great credence as the source for the modern day reference.
The flaws in this argument for me is that I can find no record that Swansea, South Waleian or even Welsh sailors were considered better than any other sailor. The term "jack tar" has long been applied to sailors in general and "jack tarred apparel" is a bit of a weird one - the tarring of jackets is known to have been used by sailors to stormproof them, but I am unaware of any shortening of jacket to jack. However the term "jack" does appear in naval terminology and slang - the jack is a pennant flown at the rear of the ship (union flag, and the pennant version is the union jack), the slang appears to be the rat-tail/pony tails often worn by sailors (historically) - possibly related to slang for the penis.
Etymology 2
There was a famous black retriever called Swansea Jack who rescued no fewer than 27 people from drowning in the River Tawe and Swansea Docks during the 1930s. Swansea Jack was born in 1930. He lived in the North Dock / River Tawe area of Swansea with his master, William Thomas. Jack would always respond to cries for help from the water, diving into the water and pulling whoever was in difficulty to safety at the dockside. His first rescue, in June 1931, when he saved a 12 year old boy, went unreported. But a few weeks later, this time in front of a crowd, Jack rescued a swimmer from the docks. His photograph appeared in the local paper and the local council awarded him a silver collar. In 1936, he had the prestigious 'Bravest Dog of the Year' award bestowed upon him by the 'Star' newspaper. He received a silver cup from the Lord Mayor of London and he is still the only dog to have been awarded TWO bronze medals ('the canine V.C.') by the National Canine Defence League. Swansea Jack died in October 1937 after eating rat poison. His burial monument, paid for by public subscription, is located on the Promenade in Swansea near St.Helen's Rugby Ground.
This, to me, seems a more likely origin given the national coverage of "Swansea Jack"s bravery and his receipt of awards . CCFC
2-1 TO CITY ME THINKS,
Re: on the Promenade in Swansea
Mon May 27, 2013 8:24 am
There's no K in the welsh language would they be known as jac tar
Re: on the Promenade in Swansea
Mon May 27, 2013 8:34 am
I don't care where it comes from. I'm just still bitter about the Daily Mail claiming we were chanting "You black b@stard!" at Jason Scotland a couple of seasons ago when we were actually chanting "You jack b@stard!".
Re: on the Promenade in Swansea
Mon May 27, 2013 8:51 am
Zabier wrote:I don't care where it comes from. I'm just still bitter about the Daily Mail claiming we were chanting "You black b@stard!" at Jason Scotland a couple of seasons ago when we were actually chanting "You jack b@stard!".
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&si ... svJtYRD1g4 DAILY MAIL-- SHIT PAPER-- I READ THE STARS MYSELF.
CCFC