The Wolseley helmet worn by Corporal L. Thomas of the Royal Berkshire Yeomanry
Cpl Thomas was born in the Parish of Thicket, Near the Town of Wantage, County Berkshire in 1895. His occupation was given as “Farmer.”
He joined the Berkshire Yeomanry prior to WWI in 1914 having bought himself out of the Royal Horse Artillery on the 3rd of March 1914. Continue reading
As we approach the 100th year anniversary of the end Great War in 1918, a lot of retrospective thinking, review and discussion has been taking place.
One area of discussion is the interruption of the uniforms, equipment, regulations and distinctions of the New Zealand military forces. One of these distinctions is the peaked felt hat, commonly called the lemon squeezer. When and how did it begin? How did it evolve? Did New Zealand invent the peaked felt hat? And which was the first unit to officially wear the peaked felt hat?
Figure 1. A ‘Thomas Begg Inc.’ refurbished M1887 helmet, with its 1960s explanatory card, the helmet is now at least 110 years old and possibly 131. A number of these re-worked helmets are thought to have been retailed by the company in the 1960s, but the cards have rarely survived
The British “Foreign Service Helmet” was introduced in the 1870s for use in its overseas colonies. Around the same time the “Home Service Helmet” – known today amongst collectors as the “blue cloth helmet” – was introduced for use by units the British Army whilst stationed in the UK. The Foreign Service Helmet notably was replaced by the Wolseley pattern helmet, while the Home Service Helmet remained in use through World War I and was gradually phased out in the years following the horrific conflict.
Today both patterns have been relegated for use by bandsman and for certain very formal situations. It is the latter situation where the helmet was reintroduced not once but actually a total of three times for a unit that actually didn’t exist back in the 1870s. Continue reading
Figure 1. The crest of Christys’ of London; they have been producing hats for almost two and a half centuries. Underneath the Christys crest on this silk label is the name of the Canadian shop where this helmet was sold, Thorne Brothers occupied that address between 1880 and 1909 3. Behind the sticker can be seen the sheets of pith used to construct this helmet.
Christys’ & Co Ltd, established in 1773, are well known hatters who are still producing quality hats to this day. At the end of the 19th century they were the world’s largest headwear manufacturer. They have always been famous for producing best quality products, supplying Royalty since King George III’s reign, entitling them to use the royal crest on their logo. They are perhaps most famous for designing the Custodian helmet for the British police in 1863.
Sun/pith helmets in the movies have often been hit or miss – and in some cases have even caused some confusion regarding fact vs. fiction. Most notably are the helmets in the 1964 epic Zulu, which featured helmet plates on the front. Because of this movie many new collectors expect that helmet plates were generally worn in all stations abroad (The helmet plate was authorized only for the so-called Mediterranean stations).
However, the 2016 production The Legend of Tarzan offered rather surprisingly good depictions of the Belgian Congo’s Force Publique. While these are technically the “villains” in this overly PC movie, which is just the latest take on the “King of the Apes,” the uniforms and helmets are actually fairly accurate.
While the term “pith helmet” is used to describe almost all sun helmets, the actual use of “sola pith” material is generally only seen in the construction of helmets made in Asia, including India and the Far East. One of the more popular – and high end – examples of Indian-made sun helmets is the “Cawnpore Tent Club Helmet,” which is noted for its shape and more importantly the quilted linen covering.
All of the examples encountered to date have been made of pith, but recently one has been discovered at a flea market in Munich, Germany, and this example was made of cork. Continue reading