Canes and Sticks

[El Prez]

With an inside leg measurement of 29.5 inches, and the requirement of a full 30" pace, ones little legs soon went into extended overdrive. Nearly an equalateral triangle, but only isosceles.

[Shoulderholster]

Now your being obtuse!!.

[anglo-saxon]

Here in the Canadian Forces it's pretty much the same as the Brit Army. There are of course always exceptions to the rules. Generally, only MWOs and CWOs (read "WOIIs and WOIs") carry pace sticks and WOs (read "C/Sgts / Sgts") and Sgts (eqiv to a Brit Cpl) carry drill canes.

These pieces of kit were used first when drill was the mechanism for forming battle formations on the field. The drill cane was an instrument made use of by the sergeants on the right flank to dress the lines and the pacestick is self evident. We have the additional measurement here of 15" (despite also being a metric army) for the open/close order, which here is three 15" paces in double quick time. In the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders painting, "the Thin Red Line", the sgts can be seen dressing the lines with their canes.

[Dave.Mil]

In the Cavalry we used to carry whips, not only are they nice and light but a well aimed flick on the lughole could re enforce a bollocking (had we been allowed to do things like that). The wife liked it as well but we won't go into that

[Si Capon]

I remember cracking a Nod in the nuts with the very tip of my pace stick. It was the most gentle of taps, but it must have caught him perfect. He went down like a sack of spuds. What ever he did wrong he didn`t do again I`m sure

The rest of the troop were most impressed at my accuracy. It kind of reinforced the instructor/recruit relationship.

[Artist]

Si

I once caught a Nod in the Nadgers with the whip antenna of an A41.

Total accident mind!

Artist