Aiguillette


An aiguillette, also spelled aguillette, aiglet or aglet, is a cord with metal tips or lace tags, or the decorative tip itself.
Functional or purely decorative fasteners of silk cord with metal tips were popular in the 16th and early 17th centuries, sometimes of gold set with gemstones or enameled, are generally called "aiglets", "aglets" or "points".
In modern usage, an "aiguillette" or "axelbant" is an ornamental braided cord with decorative metal tips worn on uniforms or as part of other costumes such as academic dress, where it will denote an honour. This usage of "aiguillette" derives from lacing used to fasten plate armor together. As such, a knot or loop arrangement was used which sometimes hung from the shoulder.
These aiguillettes should not be confused with lanyards, which are cords also worn from the shoulder, but do not have the pointed aiguillette tips and are usually of fibre rather than gold or silver wire, and often not braided.
The modern aglet or shoelace tip and the decorative tips on bolo ties are types of aiguillettes.

History

The modern aiguillette derives from the laces used to secure plates of armor together. The breast- and back-plates would be attached on one side with short loops of cord acting as a hinge, and on the other by a longer and more ornate tied one, to support the arm defences.
Another tradition traces a symbolic use of a Aiguillettes to Spain, after the Duke of Alba condemned deserting Flemish to face the rope. The Flemish decided to wear a cord and a nail on their collar as a symbol of their defiance. The cord and the nail came seen as an emblem of their bravery and ultimately became the honour known as aiguillettes.
Portraits of the 16th and 17th centuries show that aiglets or metal tips could be functional or purely decorative, though many were used to "close" seams and slashes that are not always apparent on dark garments in portraits. They were made in matched sets, might be of silver, silver-gilt, or gold, and were worn in masses.
A 1547 inventory of Henry VIII of England's wardrobe includes one coat with 12 pairs of aiglets, and 11 gowns with a total of 367 pairs. The Day Book of the Wardrobe of Robes of Elizabeth I records items received into storage, including details of buttons and aiglets lost from the Queen's clothing. This entry suggests the huge numbers of matching aiglets fashionable forty years later:
Lost the 2 of February... 1 bunsh of small gold tagges or aglettes from a gowne of black satten at Sittingbourne parcell of uppon the same gowne 193 bunshes

Elizabeth's aiglets were variously enameled with white, red, black, blue, and purple details or set with diamonds, garnets, rubies and pearls. In Scotland, they were known as "horns", Mary, Queen of Scots had pairs of gold horns enamelled in red and white and set with pearls. Those of Anne of Denmark in the early years of the 17th century were larger, shaped in triangles and pyramids. One set of 24 were made three-sided, with "27 diamonds in the sides and one in the top", for a total of 642 diamonds in the set.

Military usage

Argentina

Aiguillettes are worn on the right shoulder by armed forces officers serving in specific positions, such as aide-de-camp to the President, the Minister of Defense, each service's chief of staff and unit commanding officers, and by military attachés to Argentinian embassies abroad. The color of the aiguillette may be golden, silver or tan, depending the nature of the assignment.
Olive green aiguillettes are worn with the combat uniform in very special circumstances, such as ceremonies and inspections. Otherwise, aiguillettes are not worn with the combat uniform. A special red aiguillette is worn by the adjutants to the commanding officers of the Horse Grenadiers Regiment and the Military Academy. Also, a red aiguillette is worn on the left shoulder by the senior NCO of each Army unit. A thinner, yellow aiguillette is worn on the right shoulder by NCOs who have completed the instructor course.
In the Navy, adjutants to very senior officers wear golden aiguillettes on the left shoulder.

Australia

Aiguillettes distinguish officers of Flag, General and Air rank in specific command appointments, military attachés and aides-de-camp. Most senior officers and aides-de-camp to the Governor-General or state governors wear the aiguillette on the right shoulder, whilst military attachés and staff aides-de-camp wear the aiguillette on the left. Royal aiguillettes are of plain gold, naval aiguillettes are of blue and gold, army aiguillettes are of red and gold, air force aiguillettes of light blue and gold.
The Governor-General of Australia, as the Commander in Chief of the Australian Defence Force, is entitled to wear a uniform on which an aiguillette made of platinum is worn.

Canada

Aiguillettes are worn by officers in specific appointments to specific principals. For the following appointments the aiguillette is worn on the right shoulder:
For other appointments, the aiguillette is worn on the left shoulder:
  • Attachés as part of an embassy or consulate;
  • Staff officer to the Minister of National Defence;
  • Aides-de-camp / flag lieutenants to general / flag officers; and
  • Officers appointed as personal assistants to senior officers, Ministers of the Crown, visiting military or civilian officials, dignitaries of foreign nations.
For all regal and vice-regal appointments, the distinguishing badge or cipher of the principal is worn on the shoulder strap or shoulder board.
Obsolete pattern aiguillettes braided with a coloured stripe may be worn until replaced by officers holding appointments to Lieutenant-Governors of provinces or military / civilian principals.
For RCN officers, since the uniform jacket does not normally include shoulder straps, the aiguillette is secured under a fully-corded shoulderboard worn on the right shoulder for regal and vice-regal appointments, and under a hard shoulderboard with a corded knot worn on the left shoulder for all other appointments.
For RCAF officers, since the uniform jacket does not normally include shoulder straps, there is a small attachment hook worn on the appropriate shoulder to which the aiguillette is fastened.
For Army officers, the aiguillette is secured under the appropriate shoulder strap and the cipher or badge is worn on that shoulder strap.
For all branches, the end of the cord near the hanging ends is fastened to a concealed button under the left or right jacket lapel as appropriate.

Denmark

The Danish military uses aiguillettes for a number of different positions.
The aiguillettes are worn only with the dress uniform. There are several types of aiguillettes in the French military:
  • Aiguillettes on the right shoulder are worn by officers filling certain duties.
  • * Staff officers in the President's staff, the Prime Minister's staff, the Minister of Defence's staff and the Maréchaux's Staff. The aiguillette is always in gold wire.
  • * The aides-de-camp to the President, the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Légion d'honneur, the Chief of the Defence Staff and the DGA. The aiguillette can be silver or gold, depending on the officer's corps. The AdC to the generals in the army and the air force and all the staff officers in the navy can also wear this aiguillette.
  • * The military attachés of an embassy. The aiguillette is always in gold wire.
  • Aiguillettes on the left shoulder are worn by all members of some units:
  • * The Gendarmes. The aiguillette is white for the Gendarmerie départementale and gold for the Gendarmerie mobile, including the Garde Républicaine.
  • * The Bands. This aiguillette can be blue, red, or gold.
Aiguillettes should not be confused with fourragères, which can be worn in the same way on the left shoulder in parade dress.

Germany

In the German armies, including the Imperial German Army and the Imperial German Navy, the adjutant generals or admirals wore the Adjutantenschnur or Achselband on the right shoulder as of 1863 in gold, the generals à la suite and the Flügeladjutanten in silver. There were initially several experimental forms in the Reichswehr.
On 29 June 1935, so-called shoulder straps were introduced into the German Wehrmacht and were worn on certain occasions, e.g. at parades. Adjutants wore armpit cords as their badge of activity. In the National People's Army, the border troops of the GDR and the GDR People's Navy, a silver-colored armpit cord with silver tips for LaSK/LSK/LV/GT and gold-colored tips for the People's Navy has also been introduced for officers since 1976; the version for generals and admirals was gold-colored. In the Bundeswehr it is worn by attachés, officers of protocol, flag escort officers, greeting and liaison officers of the Navy as well as wake guards and medal cushion bearers.

Ghana

In Ghana, aiguillettes form part of the ceremonial uniforms of commissioned officers in the army and other security services including the police, prisons service, fire service, and customs and immigration. Senior police officers wear white aiguillettes with dark-blue uniforms, prison officers also wear yellow aiguillettes over the official ceremonial number one uniform while customs and immigration officials wear red aiguillettes with olive-green outfits. When worn, the aiguillettes denote on-duty status.