AAC CADET INSTRUCTOR’S HANDBOOK CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS 2006 THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY BLANK AAC Cadet Instructor’s Handbook – Customs and Traditions February 2006 AMENDMENT CERTIFICATE 1. Proposals for amendments or additions to the text of this publication should be made through normal channels to the sponsor. To facilitate this, there are amendment proposal forms at the back of this publication. 2. It is certified that the amendments promulgated in the undermentioned amendment lists have been made in this publication Amendment List Amended By Date of Number Date (Print Name and Initials) Amending AAC Cadet Instructor’s Handbook – Customs and Traditions February 2006 PREFACE Aim 1. The aim of this publication is to provide information on military customs and traditions for cadets. Level and Scope 2. The publication is not the source document but is an extract for use by the Australian Army Cadets (AAC). It contains the information required to describe military customs and traditions. It has been produced by the Training Cell, HQ NT AAC BN. References 3. This publication should be read in conjunction with other publications and documents. Gender 4. Words importing gender refer to both male and female unless specifically stated otherwise. AAC Cadet Instructor’s Handbook – Customs and Traditions February 2006 CONTENTS Amendment Certificate Contents Introduction CHAPTER 1. Rank in the Australian Army Australian Army badges of rank 1.01 The Officers 1.02 Other ranks 1.09 Lance corporal 1.11 Corporal 1.12 Bombardier/lance bombardier 1.13 Sergeant 1.14 Staff sergeant 1.15 Warrant officer/Sergeant major 1.16 Lieutenant 1.20 Captain 1.22 Major 1.23 Colonel 1.24 Brigadier 1.25 General 1.27 Field marshal 1.29 The private ranks 1.30 The adjutant 1.31 The commission 1.33 Warrant officers and warrants 1.35 CHAPTER 2. Dress of the Australian Army The lanyard 2.01 The Aiguillette 2.07 The slouch hat 2.09 The pugaree 2.10 Gorget patches 2.26 The pace stick 2.29 Canes 2.31 Swords 2.33 Unit colour patches 2.40 CHAPTER 3. Ceremonial Traditions of the Australian Army The Parade Ground 3.01 Holding ground 3.01 Feu-de-joie 3.05 The 21 gun salute 3.08 The salute 3.17 Present arms 3.23 Point of war 3.25 Inspections 3.29 Advance on review order 3.35 Colours 3.39 Standards and guidons 3.63 Battle honours 3.66 Trooping the colour 3.78 Consecrating the colours 3.71 Laying up the colours 3.79 Beat retreat, last post, tattoo and reveille 3.89 The RSM’s sword 3.96 The commanding officer on the march past 3.97 Freedom of entry 3.98 Drum head service 3.101 The catafalque party 3.109 AAC Cadet Instructor’s Handbook – Customs and Traditions February 2006 CHAPTER 4. Other Information on the Australian Army The Australian army 4.01 ANZAC day 4.09 The Australian army’s birthday 4.14 The mess dinner 4.16 Medals 4.22 Mentioned in despatches 4.33 The digger 4.35 The unknown soldier 4.97 Identity discs 4.55 Flag stations 4.59 The pioneer sergeant of 4 RAR 4.63 1 RAR shovel 4.66 The Australia imperial force 4.67 The lance 4.68 Regiment army formations 4.76 Battalion 4.79 Squadron 4.82 Troop 4.83 The governor-general’s baton 4.84 Staff-cadet Casey 4.86 Honorary colonels and colonels commandant 4.88 Volunteers and militia 4.94 Gunners and sappers 4.96 Gunners 4.97 Sappers 4.98 Other ranks 4.100 Rank and file 4.101 Mascots 4.102 The waterloo dinner 4.106 Mess bells 4.107 CHAPTER 5. Barracks and Lines of the Australian Army Barracks and lines 5.01 CHAPTER 6. Corps and Regimental Badges of the Australian Army Corps and regimental badges of the Australian army 6.01 The Australian army badge 6.15 CHAPTER 7. Badges of Corps and Regiments since Disbanded or Amalgamated Reserved CHAPTER 8. Unit Formations CHAPTER 9. Military Skills, Trade and Other Badges AAC Cadet Instructor’s Handbook – Customs and Traditions February 2006 Introduction Many of the Australian Army’s customs have been handed down from the British Army but this is to be expected. Most of life’s customs are traditionally passed down through the family connection and the Australian Army is no different, for it was conceived from the British Army and is therefore family. Nevertheless these customs have served the Australian Army well over the years and have proven their worth; they are now as much a part of our Army as they are of the British Army. In many ways customs are the valuable foundation of a unit or a corps; they are the esprit-de-corps, and they cannot be counted in terms of dollars; they are far more important than that. In the words of a famous general of the 1990s “....customs and traditions install a sense of belonging in the lives of young soldiers.” 1 A custom is a practice, a mode of behaviour or, it could be said, a particular way of acting in a given set of circumstances; a tradition is the passing down over time of a custom. This book is presented in nine chapters. The first deals with the rank system within the Australian Army touching on some special appointments such as the regimental sergeant-major (RSM) and the adjutant. The second chapter describes some of the many items and embellishments of dress within the Army, whilst the third chapter examines the background to the Army’s ceremonial traditions. Chapter 4 explains many of the Army’s customs and other ‘odds and sods’ that are part and parcel of the Australian Army’s everyday life. Chapter 5 covers the origins of barrack and unit names. Here I have dealt with some names in more detail than others and there are a couple of reasons for this. Where there is a name that is well known, or where it is easy to track down other publications dealing with a particular name, I have just touched upon the origin, however, if the subject is rather obscure I have provided some basic background information. The various battles and areas of operations are stories in themselves and are far too complicated to be briefly described here. The idea is to give the reader a background to the name, not a history of it. Chapter 6 describes the current corps and regimental badges of the Australian Army (including a very brief corps/regimental background history to each corps/regiment). Again the aim is not to go into the full and sometimes complicated history of the corps or regiment but simply some explanation to their origins. The seventh chapter shows the badges of corps and regiments which have over the years been removed from the Order of Battle. It also lists the many infantry regiments which have been either disbanded or amalgamated into various state infantry regiments. Chapter 8 deals with the unit and formation emblems of the Army. These are not headdress badges but they appear on unit signs and documentation. The final chapter covers the trade and military skill badges worn on the Australian Army uniform. In putting together this information I would like to thank the following for allowing me to publish extracts from various articles and publications: Colonel R.J. Margetts (the Director of Infantry): the Infantry Centre’s “Military Traditions and Customs”; Kaye & Ward: Major Lawrence Gordon’s “Military Origins”; Gale and Polden: Major T.J. Edwards’ “Regimental Badges”; Colonel R.W. Howell, (the Directorate of Military Studies): John Mordike’s “An Army for a Nation”; Brigadier P.J.F. Painter (the Royal Artillery Institution): Major D. Rollo’s “Gun Salutes”; the Minister of Public Works and Government Services, Canada (1997): E.C. Russell’s “Customs and Traditions of the Canadian Armed Forces”; and Colonel J. Bastiaan: “The Australian Unknown Soldier” (After the Battle); I would also like to thank the following for their advice and assistance: The Australian War Memorial (especially Mr Gary Oakely); the School of Armour; Lieutenant Colonel Adams of the Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps; Mr Gary Moss for his drawing skills; Major M.H. McCombe of the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps; Sir Conrad Swan and his staff at the College of Arms; Mrs S.K. Hopkins of the National Army Museum, Chelsea; Mr R.G. Button of Wilkinson Sword in London; Mr David Fletcher of The Tank Museum, Bovington; the Army Historical Branch of the British Ministry of Defence; Warrant Officer Class One (RSM) Jack Selmes and his warrant officers and NCOs from the Corps of Staff Cadets, Royal Military College, Duntroon; Lieutenant Colonel A.A. Sillcock; Warrant Officer Class One (BSM) Steve Hladio; Sergeant Phill Vavasour, Corporal Darren Hilder and especially Sergeant Jason Silsbury for the majority of the photographs; the many corps and unit regimental sergeant-majors, adjutants, and independent sub-unit sergeant-majors for supplying me with information; and Warrant Officers Class One (RSMs) John Wilson, Steve Griffiths, Anthony Reid and Clem Russell, Lieutenant Colonels Mike Phelps and Greg Molyneux, and Squadron Leader Rowley Tompsett. AAC Cadet Instructor’s Handbook – Customs and Traditions February 2006 A very special thanks to warrant Officer Class One (RSM) Brian Boughton, Lieutenant Colonel Don Lowe, Majors Gary Matherson and Dale Bradshaw and Brigadier Peter Kilpatrick for their invaluable guidance, advice, support and assistance. Any mistakes of fact within this publication are solely mine. CHRISTOPHER JOBSON AAC Cadet Instructor’s Handbook – Customs and Traditions February 2006 CHAPTER 1 Rank In The Australian Army Australian Army Badges of Rank 1.01 The matter of badges of rank is anything but simple, particularly when dealing with the officers, and could very easily be the subject of a book in itself.