Swagger Stick
A swagger stick from the Boer war. Covered with snake skin and topped with a brass knob.
Swagger sticks were carried by all ranks of the British Army before WW1 when off duty, as part of their walking our uniform. The stick took form of a short cane of polished wood, with an ornamental metal herd of regimental pattern. The usual custom was for the private soldier or NCO to carry the stick tucked under his arm. Cavalrymen carried a small riding cane instead of the swagger stick of infantry and other branches. This practice was restricted to the army and Royal Marines, and was never imitated by the other services, although T.E. Lawrence when he had enlisted in the Royal Air Force under the name of Ross, mentions that airmen under training at the RAF Depot at Uxbridge carried swagger sticks. It is thought that this practice was limited to the Depot.
Until 1939 swagger sticks were all carried by peacetime regular soldiers when "walking out" of barracks but the practice ceased with the outbreak of WW2. Uniforms are no longer worn by British army personnel when off duty and the swagger stick has accordingly become obsolete.
Details
Details
Covered in snake skin
Social:
Busselton Historical Society
Busselton Historical Society
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