Category Archives: Colonial Empire

The Sun Helmet of Frederick Charles Denison

The name Frederick Charles Denison may not be as well known as that of Garnet Wolseley, but Denison played an important role in the Sudan Campaign when he commanded the Canadian Voyageurs on the Nile. Denison distinguished himself during the war, and was given prominent mention in dispatches but he also received multiple honors and awards.

Had Denison not taken part in the ill-fated campaign, he still would have left his mark as a militia officer, lawyer, author, businessman and politician. Born to the wealthy and influential Denison family, he was drawn to military service after his older brother Captain George Taylor Denison III became a militia officer. Continue reading

A Helmet of the Garhwal Rifles 39th (Garhwal) Regiment Bengal Army

The regiment was first raised in 1887 as the Aligarh Levy but was disbanded after disgracing itself at the Rawalpindi Review in 1888. In 1890 it was reformed as the 39th (The Garhwal) Regiment of Bengal Light Infantry. The official title of ‘Rifles’ was received in 1892. The ‘Phoenix’ badge was later dropped, and the Maltese Cross which was in use by the Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort’s Own) was adopted. The regiment fought in both World Wars as well as in the inter-war period and post independence. Continue reading

The Flying Sun Helmets

Discussed here are two types of ‘Flying Sun Helmet’; first, a type of cork crash helmet, which used Colonial Helmet construction methods, but whose primary function was protection from impacts rather than the sun, and secondly a true hybrid sun helmet, whose inception was to protect against the sun whilst flying in exposed cockpits in areas where such hats were traditionally used.

Although the early 1920s to early 1940s ‘Cork Helmet-Aviation’ (a.k.a., ‘RAF Type-A Flying helmet’ or ‘East of Malta Helmet’) is the best known aviator’s sun helmet, with various examples having been covered on this site by Peter Suciu and Roland Gruschka (Refs. 1 & 2), some earlier flying helmets also owe their origins or construction methods to military sun helmets.   Continue reading

Rayadillo – The Alternative to Khaki

By the late 19th century nations around the world had largely adapted khaki as the de facto color for military uniforms for troops serving in tropical regions. Khaki, which originated from the Persian word for “dust,” was first used in the Indian subcontinent prior to the Indian Mutiny, but by the end of the century had seen use around the word.

However, Spain – a nation that had been among the earliest colonial powers – actually adopted an alternative to khaki. This was “rayadillo,” a cotton fabric that featured blue and white strips. It was worn by Spanish colonial soldiers from the middle of the 19th century until the early 20th century. Continue reading

Another “Forgotten” Colonial Power – The Danish Sun Helmet

Today when people think of Danish colonies Greenland likely comes to mind, and that’s not exactly the sort of place where a sun helmet is often required. However, Denmark was a colonial power in tropical regions and while it never really competed with the British, French, Spanish or Dutch in the Caribbean, the first Danish colony was founded in the West Indies in the 1660s.

The Danish West India Company was organized on March 11, 1672 and soon after established a settlement on St. Thomas. The Danish West Indies were invaded twice by the British – the first time during the French Revolutionary Wars and the second time during the Napoleonic Wars. Following those bloodless invasions the islands were at relative peace and managed by the Danish West Indies Gendarmerie as well as the West Indian Military Forces. Continue reading

From Bengal to Scotland Yard, The Heir of the Air Pipe: Origins of the British Police Helmet, the Indian Connection

Figure 1. Top left, an Ellwood & Sons ‘Air Chamber’ military sun helmet, patented 1851, following traditional Indian designs it has a light weight cork construction, is cloth covered and has an ‘air pipe’ comb allowing air to freely circulate in the dome. Top right, a ‘Custodian’ police helmet by Christys & Co ltd (1952), uses almost identical construction methods; a version of this basic design was introduced in 1863 and was the only Custodian type for at least 10 years. Bottom left, a development of the sun helmet; a Christys & Co Ltd, late 1800s Colonial Pattern Sun Helmet. Bottom center, the attached Christys label. Bottom right, a near identically constructed police helmet, again by Christys, offered to the police as an alternative ‘Custodian’ style in the mid 1870s.

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A Very Modern “Foreign Service Helmet”

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