ProvenanceThe cat o'nine tails originally belonged to Chief Gunner Edwin Argent aboard the HMCS Protector, South Australia's colonial warship, during the late 19th and early 20th century. Argent was the donor, Ted Beesley's, great grandfather. The cat o'nine tails has always been in the family and was handed down to the donor by his father, Keith Argent Beesley (Edwin Argent's grandson), many years ago.SignificanceThe gunboat Protector was ordered in 1883 and built at a cost of £65,000 for the South Australian Government following a decision to establish a naval force for the protection of the colony's coasts and harbours. Protector was soon embraced by South Australians and over the next fifteen years she became a familiar sight in coastal waters undertaking training cruises and port visits.
In 1900 Protector was offered to, and accepted by, the Imperial Government for service in China as part of the Colonial Naval Forces raised to rescue foreign legations in Peking from anti-Western and virulently anti-Christian Boxer Rebels.DescriptionWooden baton sheathed in red and green woollen fabric with rough hand stitching. Decorated with four bands of rope work Seven hemp stands form the tails of the whip.Materialwood
|hemp
|woollen fabric DimensionHeight: 500
Unit (Lengths): mm
|Type: hemp cords
Height: 600
Unit (Lengths): mm Accession NumberHT 2010.0692
