Tag Archives: Polo Helmet

The Dutch-South African Helmet Connection

South-African-Artillery1

South African Artillery in North Africa c1942

For years there has been an argument over the so-called “Polo” style helmet that was captured by German forces and used in the early stages of the campaign in North Africa. This writer actually tried to debunk that these were captured “Dutch” helmets, after a number of sources over the years suggested otherwise.

My argument had been that the Dutch had no African colonies so how could the German military have captured helmets intended for the Dutch Army? Continue reading →

An Indian Wolseley?

IW2The story of the Wolseley helmet is well documented, but occasionally even we come across something a little different. In this case it is a helmet that has the basic shape of a Wolseley and at first glance could possibly be dismissed as a “child’s helmet.”

The story gets interesting however. This helmet, which is a bit of a cross between a Wolseley and a polo style helmet, was apparently made in India. Moreover, while we have noted that the English helmet makers principally worked in cork with the Wolseley – with straw and felt also serving when there were shortages of cork – this Wolseley style helmet is made of sola pith!

Continue reading →

Helmet of the Arab Legion

A black cloth covered cork helmet, as used by the Jordanian Army in the 1950s and 1960s. (Author’s collection)

A black cloth covered cork helmet, as used by the Jordanian Army in the 1950s and 1960s. (Author’s collection)

While numerous colonial powers used sun helmets in their respective desert colonies, as well as in post World War I mandates and protectorates, a unique form of sun helmet was used by the local forces in Transjordan – later the Kingdom of Jordan. This respective helmet has no actual name, other than being referred to as the helmet of the Arab Legion, and later the Jordanian National Guard. Continue reading →