How did we ever get through the industrial revolution without.....

[Corrona]

Lanyards - yes you know the ones I mean. Where did they creep up from and why do we need them - and don't give me the ID card argument, mine has sat nicely in my wallet for the last goodness knows how many years, poised ready to be shown to anyone of my colleagues who might need to confirm what they already know! My name and employer.

No, the reality is that we didn't need lanyards to get us through the industrial revolution - and we don't need them now. It's just a crap fashion.

Anything else we didn't need then and don't need now but some fool thinks we do? EO, SHEP, etc etc.

[Alber Ratman]

A BAE Systems lanyard lays in my draw at home.

Standard attire for our company colleagues at BAE Marham..

[GOLF_BRAVO_ZULU]

Never worn mine and never will. That's also 4 different ones I've been issued with in the last 7 years and the only thing about my job that's changed is the title! Anyway, purple's not my colour.

[November4]

The HQ site for the organisation I work for (Not military but is a large uniformed organisation covering 2 counties around Bristol ) insists that we wear our ID cards at all times on site yet security on the gate lets you through as long as you are displaying a car pass.

2 years ago they had to redesign the car pass as too many people had sold their cars and left the passes in them.

[Wader2]

Until the PR guys sent me a big envelope containing the lanyards I had never had on. I had never even had the natty plastic holder to hold the ID card.

Not knowing what to do with the lanyards I first tested them for attempted suicide but the catch released the lanyard.

I then gave them away to the ATC, bar one, which I use for my USB pen (at home you understand).

The lanyards also look real gucchi on the underground or in Sainsbury's. Shows you are someone important.

[The Helpful Stacker]

We used to have to wear them at Headley Court to differentiate the staff from the patients, although to be honest the patients were usually the ones in sports kit with various parts of their limbs missing and the staff were mostly the ones wearing either medical uniform or PTI kit so I'm not too sure where the confusion was supposed to arise.

Many of us were issued purple lanyards but I found this clashed terribly with the RAF blue uniform so I sourced light blue ones for those of us sensible enough to choose the grown up branch of the armed forces for a career.;)

[Corrona]

Phew, for a day or two there folks i though maybe i was out on my own on this one!

[Al R]

Sorry. I was confused for a mo there. When you said lanyards, I thought it was something a fellow would suspend his Webley from while chivvying the chaps along, blowing a whistle and generally drawing attention to himself in an unhealthy manner.

This is just an example of brainless cretins with supersonic authority and subsonic ability. I would love to see the policy document where the imbecile who sanctioned it, actually had to commit to paper, his reasoning and then put it on the noticeboard. Go to any motorsport event, and its the same, and invariably, the amount of suspended pit passes you see will be inversely proportional to someone's importance. Look closely to identify the real strokers.. they'll still be wearing them from last year.

Similarly, day glo bibs. I can understand their initial rational, but the scene of any disaster nowdays is one huge expanse of retina scorching yellow. It seems to me, if you want to stand out, you shouldn't wear one. And why have daft things on the back of them, like 'photographer'? The fact you have a camera should give the casual observer an inkling I'd have thought.

[tonker]

On the news from the US and A the other day, police were walking around with bibs on that read "SECRET POLICE" !!!!!!!!!!

[Gainesy]

Our dustbin man's has "Pete" on the back.

I thought lanyards were for Equerrys or ADCs.

Oh, and Space Cadets.

[spectre150]

Lanyards - yes you know the ones I mean

No I don't. I thought a lanyard connected the PSP to the ejection seat. I do not follow this thread at all, what does it have to do with ID cards? :O

[The Helpful Stacker]

I thought lanyards were for Equerrys or ADCs.


No that'd be aiguillettes. As worn in days of yore by knights to keep their armour together.

[stickmonkeytamer]

@I thought a lanyard connected the PSP to the ejection seat"
Is that incase you drop it whilst playing "Everybody's Golf" whilst inverted?:E
SMT

[Gainesy]

No that'd be aiguillettes

Correct. But pronounced lanyard. Whats the Sec Ref then?:)

[Wader2]

BTW, when should I wear my Royal Air Force baseball cap?

[Kitbag]

Correct. But pronounced lanyard. Whats the Sec Ref then?

Under the terms of a certain DIN that information cannot be released- Opsec don'cha you know!:eek:

[Gainesy]

...and anyway, we only have one set left so you can't have it in case...:)

[The Helpful Stacker]

You have to go through the ceremonial store at Uxbridge for flashy bits of string for your uniform, nowt to do with me guv.

[beardy]

No that'd be aiguillettes. As worn in days of yore by knights to keep their armour together

I always thought that the term referred to the fact that they were arrow shaped (from the french for arrow) and were the pointy bits on the end of the string that was made into a hobble for the Senior Officer's horse so that it didn't wander off. The pointy bits were planted in the turf, like tent pegs.

I am glad to see that they are still available, they must come in useful sometime.:hmm:

[Corrona]

spectre150

Lanyards - yes you know the ones I mean

No I don't. I thought a lanyard connected the PSP to the ejection seat. I do not follow this thread at all, what does it have to do with ID cards?

Apologies old chap I was referring to the ridiculous proliferation of those lengths of cord/strap/string that every man and his dog seem to now wear around their neck attached to which seems to be as many cards as one can possibly manage - ID, Door swipe and lord only knows what else.

The point I was trying to make is that there is nothing wrong with ID Cards etc, but that these cord things are driven by some perverse misguided fashion rather than actual necessity.

[HILF]

I received the Spanish Inquisition today from some ****e for brains MGS type because, on entry to HMNB Portsmouth, my perfectly acceptable pass didn't have the "BBB" trigram. I thought the point of standardising was to stop all this security Nazism. :}

Rant over - completely agree about lanyards, haven't yet worked for an organisation issuing them within MOD that I would want to provide with free advertising!! :p


HILF

[Roland Pulfrew]

The point I was trying to make is that there is nothing wrong with ID Cards etc, but that these cord things are driven by some perverse misguided fashion rather than actual necessity.

Ah but I was informed that you cannot easily check whether someone has a right to be in the building if you cannot easily see their ID card. Therefore we must all wear them on a bit of string round our neck. Only when I worked in the Ivory Tours I never wore the bit of string, my ID card lived in my wallet, apart from when I needed it to get through the "tubes", and no-one ever challenged me!!

And whilst we are on it "Why, oh why, oh why do we need a separate Main Building ID card when we all have an ID card already that can be programmed to get you in?" Wouldn't have anything to do with reminding the CS that there are military personnel working in the buiding - would it?:E:E

Uniforms for Main Building........

[Wader2]

And whilst we are on it "Why, oh why, oh why do we need a separate Main Building ID card when we all have an ID card already that can be programmed to get you in?" Wouldn't have anything to do with reminding the CS that there are military personnel working in the building - would it?:E:E

At least the necklace shows who is CS and who is Mil.

But on your point, I thought the vehicle access cards, mine has VAC :}, were supposed to be useable on any station as once registered on one station then the system should, via the network, allow you in any. But of course the H&S Politze insist on an H&S Brief with your temporary car pass. Ever read it?

An ID Card, be it mil or CS allows direct access on foot. Why should it be different in a car?

As for the MOD access, there are special access cards at other units too. Why not have your ID card programmed when you arrive instead? Fact, logic and reason?

[South Bound]

Slight tangent (for which I apologise profusely), but it would help if the ID cards were not so poor quality. Have been through 3 in a year and not treated them harshly, they are just brittle and crap. Seem to remember my first (blue) F1250 lasted me bloody years.

[bayete]

Seem to remember the winner of a living in O's competition to get through to the DERA site from the RAF site at a certain Wilts base, winning by threading a ID sized piece of toast sporting butter, Marmite and jam photo onto his ball bearing chain and waving it across the road as he cycled in.
Actually it seemed that all you needed was to be in a growbag with a chain around your neck and you were in. Does it work with the new lanyards.
Perhaps there shoud be a competition here to see who can get in with the most useless piece of ID, library/nectar/Tesco Club card etc.
Security is not a dirty word.
Bayete's out.
"Maintaining listening watch."

[Jimlad1]

Uniform in MB sounds good to me - I look forward to a procession of increasingly irate senior officers being stopped on their way to the tube station to be asked what time the next number 73 is due :E

(Yes it has happened!)

[Wader2]

Perhaps there shoud be a competition here to see who can get in with the most useless piece of ID, library/nectar/Tesco Club card etc.

I have used an OU Id card.

However one day I glanced at 'my' 1250. Almost had a heart attack. Black hair, horn rimmed glasses and a moustache. B:mad:y kids!