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being strong as well as light, and full enough To counter this, personal armour was used
to enclose the human form. that was designed to withstand sword blows
and protect more vulnerable body areas. This
Sash are worn by infantry Colour Escorts armour was constructed of stout leather and
normally Sergeant by rank. They are also reinforced with metal plates or links.
worn by Infantry Duty Sergeant, often known
as “Duty Bos” (Duty Battalion Orderly The sword user thus had to turn from his
Sergeant) in a unit. It is laid across the right weeping slashes to more accurate strikes at
shoulder (beneath the epaulette) to the left of exposed areas and the joints of the armour
the body. pieces. In doing so, sword design moved away
CEREMONIAL SWORD from the curved and heavy slashing blade to a
straight one with a sharpened tip that was
good at thrusting at the enemy.
It is perhaps prudent to start by giving an
answer to one very simple question: Why wear
a sword in a supposedly ‘modern’ war
dominated by firepower? Although there are
undoubtedly undertones of a distant chivalric
age connected with such a potentially brutal
implement, it is not primarily a weapon, rather
it is above all else, an insignia of rank – a sign
of authority bestowed upon the officer by the
State. As such, it is important to remember that
the sword is part of an officer’s uniform and
should be treated as an object of respect by the
rank and file, but more importantly, by the
individual wearing it.
The word Sword is derived from a prehistoric
Germanic word Swertherm from which the The sword is carried by an SAF
more familiar sounding Sward (Swedish), Commissioned Officer as a mark of his status
Zwaard (Dutch) and Svoerd (Danish) arose. It and his symbol authority. The practice of
was suggested that the word was linked to the officers carrying swords probably stemmed
meaning ‘Pain’, the sword thus being the from the Middle Ages where only men of a
cause of pain.
certain stature (e.g. Knights) were allowed to
keep swords. It is often said that the officers
