[RHClarke]

Originally Posted by Jon Skagfeld

... an RCR Master Warrant Officer in full DEU (because of a grad pde), stopped to talk to one of our party. He sported a Master Gunner insignia on his right sleeve below his MWO crest...This is what I was told: During the South African War, a Canadian Artillery abandoned its post, leaving its guns behind. The RCR took and defended the position until the firefight was won...The GOC, or some other higher up, presented a lanyard taken from one of the guns to the RCR who were then authorized to have qualified Master Gunners in their establishment....As I indicated, I've never heard of this before. All during my service I associated with RCA types who always wore their white lanyard on the left shoulder. Could it have then been RCHA who suffered this ignominy?

Anyone have authentic reference to this?

(Mark....start leafing through dusty tomes )

Jon,

If you should meet others with the same or likewise story, ask them to quote the reference...don't hold your breath. What malarky!

If I had a penny for every story given by so called military historical "experts" about how units such as the 5th Canadian Independent Line Recovery Troop of the 12th Underground Balloon Corps saved the guns that the gunners apparently had just abandoned (for tea, I suppose), I'd be rich.

As for the lanyard, I thought I heard it all. Tripe, I say! Here is a more plausible (and truthful) explanation: The lanyard had a genuine purpose in war. It was originally a piece of cord, approximately a metre in length, used to secure a jack-knife which was issued to both the artillery and the cavalry. The knife had a number of uses; the blade was for cutting loose horses which became entangled in the head and heel ropes of the picket lines, and the spike of the knife was used as a hoof pick, for the removal of stones from horses hooves. A fuse key was also attached to the lanyard.
Hanging loose, the lanyard soon became dirty and for the day-to-day barrack routine it looked out of place on an otherwise smart uniform; so for peace time purposes the lanyard was plaited, and whitened with Blanco, to match both the white bandolier and the white waist belt worn by the gunners of the day. The lanyard was worn on the left shoulder with the end containing both the knife and fuse key tucked into the left breast pocket.
In 1920 the lanyard was moved to the right shoulder, simply because of the difficult problem of trying to remove the knife from the pocket underneath the bandolier. By now the bandolier and belt, worn with battle dress, had long ceased to be white, whilst the lanyard remained so.
The knife was removed in 1933 and the lanyard then became a straight cord, worn purely as an ornamental item of dress. In 1955 it was, for a short time, reintroduced in the plaited style, but it is rarely worn today by gunners (some Artillery Cadet Corps being the exception).
There is simply no truth either to any other popular story regarding the Artillery's white lanyard. Visit any Commonwealth Gunner site and try to find info to the contrary - better still, go to any Regimental history and try to find supporting evidence.

As for "losing the guns" let's look at Leliefontein 7 November 1900. From the War Museum website: Quote: In the early morning of 6 November, a strong British column left the eastern Transvaal town of Belfast and rode south to disperse a large Boer commando reported to be camped about thirty kilometres to the south near the Komati River. The force included the Canadian Mounted Rifles, the Royal Canadian Dragoons, and one section of "D" Battery, Royal Canadian Field Artillery (now with 2RCHA Petawawa), with two 12-pounder guns. After forcing the commando back across the river, the column camped for the night near a farm named Leliefontein. Boer resistance had been stronger than expected, however, and the British commander expected them to be reinforced during the night. He therefore issued orders for a return to Belfast in the morning. The Boer commander, who had brought up reinforcements, believed that the British would continue their advance, and prepared to meet them on the road heading south in the morning.
To cover his withdrawal, the British commander detailed the Royal Canadian Dragoons and the two 12-pounder field guns of "D" Battery as his rearguard, all under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel François-Louis Lessard of the Dragoons. The Dragoons were seriously under strength, mustering no more than one hundred men and a horse-drawn Colt machine gun. However, the Canadian horsemen and artillerymen were experienced, and had worked together long enough to operate as a team. The Dragoons deployed in a line four or five kilometres across covering the rear of the departing British column with the guns and the machine gun in the centre.
As soon as the Boers realized that the British were retiring, large parties began to press the Canadian rearguard. (See maps) During the morning the Boers mounted a series of strong attacks at various points along the Canadian line. These attacks culminated in a charge by two hundred mounted Boers firing from the saddle that threatened to break the Canadian line and capture the two field guns. The charge was only beaten off by the gallantry of a small party of Dragoons and the fire of the machine gun, which killed the two Boer commanders. The Boers continued to attack, but the loss of their leaders had disoriented them, and as the Canadians neared the rear of the retreating British column, the Boers lost momentum.
Leliefontein was the most desperate situation faced by Canadians during the war. The number of decorations, including Victoria Crosses to Lieutenants H.Z. C. Cockburn, R.E.W. Turner and Sergeant E.J. Holland, all of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, attests to the intensity of the fighting. UnQuote


As for your Master Gunner, I think he was pulling your leg about having a qualified Master Gunners on their establishment. The Master Gunner course is open to all who qualify, including grunts.

I thought I heard it all…