FAT Fast 17 pounder recovery

[Dan Martel]

Originally Posted by Rob Fast

Can anyone enlighten me on the lanyards in the pic? RCA? Brown and black...tan...and purple.

The light coloured one, which I think you're referring to as tan, is actually white, or was at one time. A white lanyard was a part of the RCA uniform.

The other two lanyards, one brown and black and one purple, were more than likely just for utility sake. For example using one for the knife and one for the whistle. The lanyard for the knife would be looped around a belt or belt loop as the knife was usually kept in your pocket. There were different ways to wear a whistle lanyard, which was usually left to regimental idiosyncrasies. Why the brown and black one is shown over the right shoulder with the white lanyard I have no idea as two lanyards on one shoulder just wasn't done.

I would think that, and this is just a guess, if it was a regimental practice of the 3rd Anti-Tank for senior NCO's and officers to wear a whistle lanyard with their battledress, then it would be worn on the shoulder opposite the one with the white lanyard and would be of a dark hue so as to blend in with the colour of the battledress and not contrast with the white.

On the other hand, if the whistle was connected to the white lanyard then there would be no need for a second one to be worn. It looks like you have some research to do into the regiment.

Cheers,
Dan.