Watch a parade closely and you'll spot several different sticks being carried, all looking vaguely similar at a glance — but they're not interchangeable, and one of them is a genuine measuring instrument, not just a symbol.
The pace stick: an actual tool
A pace stick is carried by warrant officers and NCO drill instructors, and it isn't purely ceremonial — it's a real measuring device. Made of two hinged pieces of wood that taper toward the bottom (similar in shape to a large wooden drafting compass), it opens so the tips separate at fixed, exact distances corresponding to specific marching paces — quick march, double march, step short. It's genuinely used to check and set drill pace accurately, not just carried for show. The Royal Regiment of Artillery claims the earliest origin for the tool, as a "gunner's stick" originally used to measure the distance between guns in the field, long before it became a drill instrument in its own right.
Drill canes and swagger sticks: symbols of authority
Shorter, with polished metal ends, drill canes and swagger sticks (essentially the same category of item under slightly different names by tradition and rank) are carried as a mark of authority rather than a functional tool. Historically, commissioned officers carried swagger sticks while warrant officers and senior NCOs carried drill canes — both fixed-length, both ceremonial, neither doing the pace stick's actual measuring job.
How swagger sticks actually started
The swagger stick's origin is genuinely more practical than it looks today — it developed from the riding crops and canes carried by mounted officers, retained as a smart accessory even once an officer wasn't on horseback, eventually becoming a standardised piece of ceremonial dress in its own right rather than a leftover riding accessory.
Why the distinction matters
If you're putting together an accurate ceremonial or drill impression, which stick is correct depends on the specific rank and role you're representing — a pace stick signals a drill instructor role specifically, while a swagger stick or drill cane is a more general authority marker across a wider range of ranks. Carrying the wrong one for the rank or role you're representing is one of the more obvious giveaways to anyone who actually knows the convention.
Trying to source the right ceremonial stick for a specific rank or role? Email us at sales@jungleuk.com and we'll help.
Pace stick
The hinged one that opens like a pair of dividers. It is a measuring instrument: a drill instructor sets it to a specific pace — 30 inches for quick march, 21 for slow — and walks it alongside a squad to check the length of their step.
Carried by drill sergeants and warrant officers, and the ability to "walk the stick" while it turns end over end is a genuine skill.
Drill cane
Straight, rigid, usually with a metal ferrule and a regimental cap. Carried by NCOs, principally as a mark of authority and something to point with. No measuring function.
Swagger stick
Shorter, lighter, often with a silver or brass tip bearing the regimental badge. Historically carried by all ranks when walking out — the origin of the phrase — because a soldier needed something in his hands to stop him putting them in his pockets.
Now largely ceremonial and mostly seen with officers and senior ranks.
The Field Marshal's baton
Different again, and not carried day to day. A gold-tipped baton presented on promotion, unique to the rank, and no more a walking stick than a crown is a hat.
Identifying one you already have
- Hinged and opens — pace stick.
- Rigid, around 3 feet, ferrule at both ends — drill cane.
- Rigid, around 2 feet, decorative tip — swagger stick.
The badge on the cap or tip identifies the regiment, and that is usually where the value sits.
How a pace stick is actually used
The distinguishing feature is that it opens. A pace stick is hinged at the top so the two legs can be set to a fixed spread and then walked, heel over heel, along the ground — each rotation measuring one pace of a set length.
That is genuinely what it is for. It is a measuring instrument, and the reason it is carried with such authority on a parade square is that the person holding it can settle any argument about pace length on the spot.
What to check when buying
- The hinge. On a pace stick this is the whole mechanism. It should open smoothly and hold its setting. A loose or damaged hinge makes the stick decorative.
- The brass. Ferrules, tips and fittings are usually brass and are frequently replaced. Original fittings with even wear are worth more.
- The wood. Look along the length for warping and for splits around the fittings, which is where stress concentrates.
- Regimental markings. Many carry a badge, a plate or an engraved presentation, and that is usually where the interest and the value are.
Presentation pieces — sticks given to mark a promotion, a posting or a retirement — are the most collectable of all, because they come with a documented person attached.
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