What are the sticks that the senior blokes carry?
• There are several different ones. • Some Officers carry a leather or cane swagger stick. • The RSM of a Unit carries a ‘ PACE STICK’ which originated in the Artillery as a “Gunner’s Stick” and was used to measure the distance between guns. It was soon adapted to measure the length of the pace taken by soldiers to get them all pacing the same. The Pace Stick is actually two sticks, hinged at the top and able to be set to a particular distance, something like the compass set you used at school. • CSMs carry a smaller stick, usually timber tipped with a shell casing at the head and an imitation bullet at the tail. It is merely an indication of rank. The Swagger Cane: Swagger Sticks were introduced as an item of commissioned rank equipment at the time of King Charles I, but were used for a much more serious purpose than they are today. At the time of Charles I all junior officers were empowered to inflict punishment on the spot for minor offences. Old manuscripts record that such misdeme
