Thanks Pierre,
Yes, I had wondered too if it was an 8th Bn lanyard. Previous unit eh? That might make it RAF perhaps? As regards the wonderful Lock book, I've found the lanyard section to contradict other photo and militaria evidence, and I can only conclude that there were a huge range of lanyard styles for each Battalion, some braided, some not, paracord, twisted cotton, etc. etc. - with only the colour being broadly consistent.
I've not found any corroboration for the comments in Joyce's book, but the more I learn about the ad-hoc adoption of lanyards, and how units used different colours over time, it rings true. Just wondered if anyone else had heard of airborne units initially adopting light blue lanyards.
|