click to view full size
|
1 FD Regt Colour Patch
|
1 FD Regiment Sew on Patch
|
103 Battery Sew on Patch
|
|
103 FD Battery Banner
|
103 FD Battery Sphinx
|
1 FD Regiment Bannner
|
|
Artillery Lapel Badge
|
RAA Badge
|
RA Flag
|
|
Sew on patch
|
colour
|
SHIELDS
RAA White Lanyard (corded & braided)
ROYAL AUSTRALIAN ARTILLERY
WHITE LANYARD
The lanyard had a genuine purpose in war. It was originally a piece of
cord, approximately a metre in length, used to secure a knife which
was issued to both the Artillery and the Cavalry. The knife had a
number of uses; the blade was for cutting loose horses which became
entangled in the head and heel ropes of the picket lines, and the spike
of the knife was used as a hoof pick, for the removal of stones from
horses hooves. A fuze key was also attached to the lanyard.
Hanging loose, the lanyard soon became dirty and for the day-to-day
barrack routine it looked out of place on an otherwise smart uniform;
therefore for peace time purposes the lanyard was plaited, and
coloured white with Blanco, to match both the white bandolier and the
white waist belt worn by the gunners of the day. The lanyard was worn
on the left shoulder with the end containing both the knife and fuze
key tucked into the left breast pocket.
In 1920 the lanyard was moved to the right shoulder, simply because
of the difficult problem of trying to remove the knife from the pocket
underneath the bandolier. By now the bandolier and belt, worn with
battle dress, had long ceased to be white, whilst the lanyard remained
so.
The knife was removed in 1933 and the lanyard then became a
straight cord, worn purely as an ornamental item of dress.
In 1955 it was, for a short time, reintroduced in the plaited style, but it
quickly went back to the straight lanyard currently worn today.
Shown on the left hand side lower region is the lanyard worn by
current day Gunners.
