Horsedrawn transport and artillery driver's whip: British and Australian armies

Driver's whip with a tapered wooden handle which is 410 mm long and 27 mm wide at its widest point. The round narrower (whip end) head finishes in a knob. The end of the handle is wider and is finished in a rough octagonal profile. A hole is drilled through the handle, 25 mm from the end, through which a 630 mm long loop of cotton cord is threaded to fit around the rider's wrist.

Attached to either side of the head, with a waxed linen thread binding, is a buff leather loop 150 mm long. Looped on to this in turn is a tapered plaited rawhide whip finishing with a twisted wool and cotton cord cracker. The length of the whip, including its attaching loop, is 915 mm long; the cracker, which is frayed from use, is 265 mm long. Both the buff leather loop and the whip itself appear originally to have had a white pipe clayed finish.

The maker's details are impressed on the handle, 'NORTON & Co 1918'.

Soldiers employed as drivers of horse drawn transport and artillery gun teams controlled a pair of horses. The driver rode the near side (left) horse, controlling the reins with his left hand and carrying a wooden handled leather whip in his right. The whip could be cracked above horses' heads, in the manner of a traditional Australian stock whip, to urge the animals on, or, with the whip coiled around the driver's hand, could be placed against neck of the unridden off side (right) horse to direct it to turn right, away from the pressure of handle.

The driver of the lead pair of horses controlled the entire team of horses and drivers, and also used the handle of his whip to indicate overall speed and direction.

A driver could not 'own' his whip. It was considered to a part of his horse's harness and remained stored with it when not in use.