Reverse arms

The practice is said to have originated in Ancient Greece, though the earliest documented cases are from descriptions of 16th-century military funerals.

[1] It is known that a New Model Army soldier carried out the movement at the execution of Charles I and was later punished for rendering such an honour to the king.

A unique reverse arms drill was devised as a special sign of respect for the 1722 funeral of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough at Westminster Abbey.

The article also stated that the movement was not used in the German military, which marched in the conventional manner at the funeral of Emperor Frederick III.

[7] A 1886 article in the Journal of the Royal United Service Institution suggested that the movements could be dropped from British practice without affecting the solemnity of funerals.

[12] If parades are halted for a long period the drill manual specifies that soldiers should be ordered to return to the shoulder arms position.

[16] The rifle is then swung downwards and turned under the right armpit to a 45-degree angle to the ground whilst the left arm reaches behind the back to grasp the barrel.

The rifle is then rotated downwards to point down the right side of the body while the left hand moves from the stock to the butt.

In this position the rifle, being shorter than that used historically and being held by the pistol grip and not the butt, does not touch the ground.

The tip is placed on the ground between the soldier's feet while the right hand rests on top of the sword pommel with the left placed over it.