Soldiers Wearing Lanyards

[Guest Ian Bowbrick]

Why did some soldiers wear lanyards and others not?

I have a piccie of one of my great-uncles who was in an Infantry Labour Coy then the Labour Corps wearing one and want to know why.

I have read that this may be because he was a Lewis Gunner is this so?

Ian

[Paul Reed]

Ian - it does seem that very often the No 1 on the Lewis Gun wore a lanyard; but there are units where there were no Lewis Guns, and and still these are worn - so it is not clear cut.

I wonder if Joe Sweeney has anything noted down from ACIs?

[fatbob]

Ian,

I can't answer this in full for you but I have found a little bit of history about the lanyard.

Apparantly in earlier days gunners used to attach a knife to it so they could cut the traces of any horse that was killed or injured in a team pulling the guns. There was also a fuse key attached. The lanyard was first worn by the artillery in the 19th century. It is said that certain sappers claim that gunners wear a white lanyard as a mark of cowardice for deserting their guns at some point in history but this is purely a case of leg pulling.

The infantry used it to secure a whistle.

There is an interesting story regarding the humble lanyard and the 216 Parachute Signal Squadron. Following the Normandy landings by the 6th Airborne Divisional Signals on 6th June 1944, the commanding officer Lt. Col. 'Pygmy' Smallman-Tew encouraged each man to plait himself a lanyard from the camouflaged rigging lines from the parachutes still scattered over the DZ. The object of this was that every man would have a length of strong cord which might be useful should he be involved in any attempt to escape capture by the enemy. All the men followed his instruction and wore the lanyard. Some weeks after the landings the Lt.Col. was killed by a German mortar. The lanyard continued to be worn in respect of the extremely popular officer.

Also, the green lanyard signifies the French Legion of Honour.

I hope this is of some help.

F.Bob

[Guest Ian Bowbrick]

Paul/Bob,

Many thanks - this warrants a bit more investigation!

Ian

[Joe Sweeney]

Paul,

I've found next to nothing on the wear on lanyards except in standing orders for certain regiments.

I can't remember which Infantry Regiment I came across a standing order as to the wear of a coloured lanyard on Service Dress. I seem to remember it being a green lanyard worn by the Notts and Derby, but my memory is failing so this might not be the regiment. I'll have to dig out my notes. But this was a rare mention of a lanyard wear. I have Pre-war Standing Orders volumes to three other Regiments none of which authorize wear of a lanyard, in fact don't mention a lanyard one way or another.

The White lanyard is very much associated with the Royal Artillery and I actually believe the Standing Orders of the Royal Artillery precribe its wear. Anyway a lanyard, particulary a white lanyard, seems to be a very commonly worn item of uniform for any soldier regardless of unit. In particular Machine Gunners. Almost to the point that I suspect it was a fashion statement.

I think the key is the Regiments standing orders if they can be found.

So I have next to nothing to add or clear up the mystery.

Joe Sweeney

[Guest jjeffwilson68]

Whist serving with the Royal Artillery I was always told that the landyard was issued to the R.A. so that if some of the gun crew were killed any one could fire the gun by unravelling the landyard and attaching it to the breach mechanism, as it is quite long when undone.

It was also issued to Regiments who had at some time saved guns after the crews were killed etc, they rescued the guns and carried on firing them.

Another story was that in the days of the old fashioned cannon it was used as a spare firing rope which was lit and then touched the powder.

Jeff

[Guest Hill 60]

For a photo of a soldier wearing a lanyard look in the 'Heroes' section on Chris' main site. If you have a look at Edward Swain (my great uncle) he is wearing what appears to be a white lanyard; he was in the 12th Bn Royal Fusiliers.

[AOK4]

Also, the green lanyard signifies the French Legion of Honour.

Hello,

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.

I don't know if there was a yellow (and green) lanyard for the Médaille Militaire.

As said: this was for French soldiers, whose regiment had received a certain award.

Regards,

Jan

[stevenbecker]

In the AIF (Australian Army) there use is as stated, "to attach their pocket knifes (PK) to".

PK's were issued to all soldiers and as such all made some form of laynard to carried it on.

I have photos showing them in a number of forms and colours. They were made of any string type matterel that was around and are shown in the black and white photos as white or a dark colour. But only the one colur not a mixture.

While in the Army I was told the standard line, that the lanyard was used by cavarly to tie there feed.

Now as an ex Cavalryman I found that as a lot of bull and looked for the answer but was down to the PK and the spike which was used to clean the horses hoofs and that was why the soldier tied it to a lanyard.

S.B

[AndrewThornton]

I've found next to nothing on the wear on lanyards except in standing orders for certain regiments.

There were two infantry regiments whose officers wore coloured lanyards in Service Dress before the Great War:

The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) - Black

The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry - Green

Both regiments wore a "Turk's Head" type of lanyard, which was worn around the neck and was joined together just below the neck with two knots, with the two strands then separating to be worn inside both breast pockets.

Of course, most officers wore a lanyard attached to their pistol when wearing their equipment, but these were the only two examples of regimental patterns worn prior to the outbreak of the Great War.

[Raster Scanning]

Found this in the 7th Beds Battalion Orders, 22/1/1918.

"As lanyards have been issued to every man these must be worn"

No further clues as to colour or what was attached to the lanyard.

Some years ago I purchased an example that is white and braided, it has a 1915 dated whistle on the end.

John