Photo: Digital Commonwealth of the Massachusetts Collections Online
Since its introduction in the middle of the 19th century various military forces have used neck curtains as a way to shield the harsh rays of the sun from a soldiers neck. First introduced in India circa 1842, the neck curtain – commonly dubbed a “Havelock” – was not limited to use in India, or even by the British military. The French Foreign Legion may be one of the best examples of a military to use the neck curtain – in part thanks to movies and books, which showed the Legion in North Africa with a kepi and havelock. However it seems that even in the recent past military planners have considered how these simple neck curtains could be incorporated with modern combat helmets. In the 1970s the American military tested some helmet covers that could be left unfolded in the back as a way of creating an ad hoc Havelock neck curtain.
