Limited Edition “The Lucky” Pencil – Sterling silver

YARD-O-LED has remade its archive model ‘The Deco 34’, originally sold in 1930. This limited edition is an copy of the original pencil and in honour of the gold pencil which saved Lt Leslie March’s life in 1942.

Available both in Sterling Silver and Gold Vermeil, limited to 734 of each style – the number of Lt March’s dog tag when he served in The Second World War.

Lt. March was one of the first to volunteer, joining the Royal Artillery as a private (No: 190734) and was commissioned in June 1941. Newlywed, he took his YARD-O-LED pencil – gifted by his wife Margot – with him. He wanted to be in the Infantry and transferred, as a Lieutenant, to the Cameron Highlanders in 1942. It was while serving with them that he took the bullet which was ‘stopped’ by his YARD-O-LED pencil and saved his life. From then on it went everywhere with him as his lucky charm. At the end of 1943 he volunteered for the Commandos being formed by Lord Lovat as acting Captain and Adjutant. They landed on the Normandy Beaches on D-Day plus 1 and on the following day he was inspecting the trenches when he was hit by a shell and killed instantly. He was 23 when he died.

The “lucky charm” pencil was kept by his family as a precious heirloom and a reminder of his heroics.  It was then donated to YARD-O-LED museum by his step brother, Mr Kelly, who aged 90 this year remembers Leslie as ‘my hero’.

The original pencil was a “Deco 34 “, a model that the YARD-O-LED had not made for many years, all the tooling had to be remade to be able to produce a copy of this original pencil. With its square body, distinctive pattern, and unusual ball clip, it is unlike any other writing instrument in the current collection. All YARD-O-LED writing instruments are handmade in our Birmingham workshop using the same machines that would have made Lt Leslie March’s original pencil.

Please note the pencils are hand made and will not be identical to the photos and original Deco 34.