The story of the sun helmet is not complete. Stuart Bates and I have written two books on the subject, and we continue to collect, research and seek out information on the subject of sun helmets. While we won’t rule out the possibility of another book in the future for now we’ve decided instead to use this site as a means to continue the story.
We are also looking for contributions from others to help tell this tale…
Peter Suciu
April 2012
The Hong Kong Police during inspection
The conical Asian hat, known as a “rice hat,” “paddy hat” or even “coolie hat” originated in East and Southeast Asia, particularly China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea and Vietnam. While primarily used by civilians, the hat has been a military head dress and was used by Vietcong forces in the Vietnam War. But the conical had was also used alongside the military sun helmet by Chinese and other native units. One in particular was the Hong Kong Police, which was established in 1844. Continue reading
This full dress Wolseley helmet was worn by Lt. Hubert Arthur Oldfield Hanley, DSO, MC, who served in the 1st,2nd and 4th Battalion, the Middlesex Regiment. Note the lemon yellow piping to the puggaree and the cloth backing to the puggaree badge. Lemon yellow was the colour of the facings for the Middlesex Regiment (Author’s collection)
Hubert Arthur Oldfield Hanley was born in Headington, Oxfordshire in 1881, the only son of Charles Hanley, and in 1909 married Mary Constance, the eldest daughter of Charles Walker of Burwash, Sussex. He was educated at Downside school in Somerset and served in the First World War, being mentioned in despatches three times and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and the Military Cross. He was commissioned as Second Lieutenant into the 6th Battalion (Militia), the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, on the 22nd April 1902. Continue reading
The Hawaii Royal Guards
At present only one unit American military unit wears a “sun helmet” – the Royal Guard of the Hawaii National Guard, a ceremonial unit of the Air National Guard. It essentially “re-enacts” the royal bodyguards of the Kingdom of Hawaii from the late 19th century. Continue reading
Mounted officer wearing khaki drill frock, Sam Browne belt rig, foreign service helmet and pantaloons tucked into stohwasser gaiters. (Photo: James Holt collection)
Throughout the Twentieth Century, the world’s Super Powers have waged war against a sometimes seemingly invisible, highly mobile enemy. An enemy familiar with the lands he defends and what it takes to survive in them. France and later the United States struggled through Viet Nam and the former Soviet Union endured the hardships offered by Afghanistan. At the dawn of the Twentieth Century Britain ventured into South Africa. The campaign that followed was an omen of how war would be waged in the new century. A tree of terms we are all too familiar with now has roots embedded on the Veldt of South Africa… commando, guerilla war, trenches, machine gun, barbed wire, and sadly concentration camps.
A Wolseley helmet provenanced to Private Frederick G. Rance of the 1st Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment. This helmet was manufactured by Percy Ayses & Co. (Author’s collection)
This helmet was worn by Private Frederick G. Rance of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Berkshire Regiment, who saw action in Waziristan on the North West Frontier of India in 1921-23. He was awarded the India General Service medal 1908 with the clasp Waziristan 1921–24. Continue reading