Mr. Julius Jeffreys F.R.S.: A Victorian Eccentric

These figures are taken from a talk given to the Royal United Services Institute (R.U.S.I.) in 1860 whose subject was ON IMPROVEMENTS IN HELMETS AND OTHER HEADDRESS FOR BRITISH TROOPS IN THE TROPICS, MORE ESPECIALLY IN INDIA. These drawings, of a civilian hat, were selected to illustrate, up front, the impracticality of this eccentric’s proposed implementation of his theories.

Julius Jeffreys, a Victorian doctor, was an HEIC Staff-Surgeon of Cawnpore and Civil Surgeon of Futtehgurh in India during the 1820s and 1830s. He was a prolific author, traveler, inventor and a champion of the welfare of British troops serving in India and the Tropics. However, although his theories were often of great merit the execution of them was sometimes quite impractical to say the least. One has to add to that his inability to express himself in a concise and readable manner, to which this author can attest having ploughed through a good deal of this man’s turgid prose. Continue reading →

Ellwood’s Patent of 1851 for the Air-Chamber Helmet

William Stephen Raikes Hodson, founder of Hodson’s Horse, wearing a crested Ellwood’s helmet c1850s.

Ellwood and Sons were among the first, if not the first, English helmet manufacturers to supply the Indian trade and specialized in felt headgear for officers of the Honourable East India Company’s army and later the British Army in India. Their helmets were in use in India during the 1840s but with the advent of cork helmets, especially those of Hawkes & Co., declined in use from the late 1860s onwards. Continue reading →

Lodge Hats, Army Surplus and the Bannerman Catalog

Bannerman

The famous “Bannerman Catalog”

Here is a strange story involving “knights,” a castle, an explosion, secret societies and lots and lots of helmets. It has the making of a Da Vinci Code setup, but is actually far less exciting – albeit interesting to collectors, history buffs and average curiosity seekers. Continue reading →

Hat, Pith, Khaki, Solar

This Khaki Solar Pith Hat is dated 1937 and attributed to Lt. G. C. Moor R.A. It was manufactured by the Peninsular Hat Company of Calcutta. (Author’s collection)

This Khaki Solar Pith Hat is dated 1937 and attributed to Lt. G. C. Moor R.A. It was manufactured by the Peninsular Hat Company of Calcutta. (Author’s collection)

The Khaki Solar Pith Hat was the British Army designation of this civilian sola topee which was used in a semi-official capacity in India and Burma probably from the late 1890s. It lasted, in army use, at least until the end of the Second World War. Continue reading →

USMC Pressed Fiber Helmet – Training Helmet and More

A color photo showing US Marines training while wearing the pressed fiber sun helmet

A color photo showing US Marines training while wearing the pressed fiber sun helmet

When the helmet of the United States Marine Corp in World War II is discussed it is likely the M1 steel helmet with the famous herringbone twill cover. But in fact this wasn’t the only helmet used by the USMC. Continue reading →

Sun Helmets on Parade in the 21st Century

The Royal Gibraltar Regiment took over from the Coldstream Guards at the famous Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace this past April - the second time only that the regiment has performed such duties

The Royal Gibraltar Regiment took over from the Coldstream Guards at the famous Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace this past April – the second time only that the regiment has performed such duties

While most military planners today know that the ballistic materials provide better protection, the sun helmet still has its place “in the sun,” at least as a dress or ceremonial form of headgear. Continue reading →