There has long been a tale-usually told by Sappers-about the Gunners wearing a white lanyard for cowardice, allegedly for deserting their guns. Of course, the story is nothing more than a piece of leg pulling. The tradition of winding up stems from the age-old rivalry between the two sister corps founded under the Board of Ordnance and trained together in Woolwich. However, I am still being asked by ARRSE members whether this story is true, so it is time it was put to rest. Did you write the original or have you copied it word for word from either http://groups.msn.com/24thMissileRegtRA/lanyard.msnw http://www.atra.mod.uk/Atra/ITG/ATRP/structure/royal_artillery/ or http://www.23fdraaassociation.homestead.com/HistoryoftheLanyard.html? Post WW1 the lanyard was moved from the left to the right shoulder and became more or less a decorative item and later still, in various colours and combinations,used to indicate regiment, battalion, Brigade, Corps etc. It used to be said, if I remember my days in the JTC, that gunners wore them as a spare should the one that fired the gun break. That seemed unlikely and in those days (40's and 50's) of battledress iI think they were merely ornaments. Many regiments and corps had coloured lanyards. In the war years that followed, the lanyard could be used as an emergency firing lanyard for those guns which had a trigger firing mechanism, allowing the gunner to stand clear of the guns recoil.

Started in the 18th century as a means of identifying Corporals who wore linen ribbons on their shoulder much the same as a lanyard until chevrons were introduced to indicate rank. As much a decorative item as a useful one until friction igniters were used by the Gunners.

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A bit of leg pulling? You'll be accusing us of friendly rivalry next. I am quite happy to believe the yellow stripe, white lanyard and 2 bombs missing stories - even if they are apocryphal. The question of which shoulder bore the lanyard depends on the date. There is no certainty about this, but the change from the left shoulder to the right probably took place at about the time of the Great War, when a bandolier was introduced, because it was worn over the left shoulder. But there are some who insist that 1924 was the date of change, when sloping of rifles over the left shoulder would soil the white lanyard. Deluxe Fabric Lanyard | DOUBLE Breakaway Clasp | Plant Lover | Teacher Lanyard for classroom ID holder | Soft fabric strap lanyard

As an ex-RHA/29RA type, I am rather pleased to hear this.........I will be forwarding this to my brother, an ex-36 RE type. He thinks it great fun to 'pull my leg' about his Corps being 'given' the original blue lanyard of the RA after they abandoned their 25 Pounders in the Western Desert. Pom Pom key ring, handbag accessory, Uni gift key ring, birthday for gift, Handbag charm, kids party gift, gift for kidsWe have over a million object records online, and we are adding to this all the time. Our records are never finished. Sometimes we discover new information that changes what we know about an object, such as who made it or used it. Sometimes we change how an object is interpreted. We sometimes make mistakes in our spelling, transcription or categorisation, or miss information out of our records.

IIRC the lanyard worn by French soldiers was green (and red) for soldiers who belonged to a regiment, which as a whole had received the Croix de Guerre, and red for soldiers, whose regiment had received the Légion d'Honneur.Read more about our collections and the information we hold. Developing our collections information I'm looking at buying a 1916 whistle with a chain and button hook attached. I suppose this was a "belt & braces" solution to avoid any breakages and loss of the whistle. Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training. Braided Leather Eyeglass Chain - Chain Reading Glassess Holders - Sunglasses Holder - Leather Eyeglass Holder You choose the color