A white lanyard has formed part of the uniform of Britain's Royal Artillery (RA) since the end of the 19th Century. Originally a simple cord carrying a fuze key, the braided and whitened lanyard became the recognised distinction of a Gunner. The distinction was extended to women of the Auxiliary Territorial Service attached to RA units during World War II. Certain battalions descended from the Durham Light Infantry wore green lanyards to denote their past links with the regiment, whose uniform had a dark green Facing colour from 1903 onwards.