Category Archives: Italy

The Italian Aden and Indian Pattern Helmet

An Italian “Aden” Helmet (Collection of Enzo Faraone)

An Italian “Aden” Helmet (Collection of Enzo Faraone)

While it is hard not to see that the Italian Model 1928 helmet was at least highly “influenced” by the British Wolseley helmet, the Italian military also seemed taken by the Anglo-Indian Cawnpore helmet. This particular topee, which is noted for its quilted pattern, was first a popular as a civilian helmet, but soon found its way to the military as a “private purchase” item.

Originally dubbed the Cawnpore Tent Club hat, it was popularized by the Prince of Wales’ visit to India 1875-76. From the First World War to the 1930s the helmet was chosen by fashion thinking British Officers, but in 1938 the Commander-in-Chief India dictated that the Cawnpore Tent Club helmet – along with the Wolseley – were to be phased out in favor of the Khaki Solar Pith Hat (See: Hat, Pith, Khaki, Solar). Continue reading →

The Italian Tropical Tarbusc

The standard Italian “Tarbush” (Collection of Piero Pompili)

The standard Italian “Tarbush” (Collection of Piero Pompili)

The “tarbusc,” from the Persian Sarpush (headdress) is a hat similar to fez, a truncated cone shape, and was typical of the indigenous Italian troops in Eritrea and later AOI (Italian East Africa).

It was “inherited” by Egyptian troops stationed at Massawa, at the time of the first Italian occupation in 1885. The original version of the headdress was used by the irregular soldier of the Ottoman army, the Bashi Bazuk (“Mad Heads”) and was red with a black bow. Continue reading →

Straw and Wicker Helmets

A German World War II sun helmet.

A German World War II sun helmet.

This was the standard pattern used by the Afrika Korp. While most of these were made of cork, there are many examples that were apparently made of weaved straw with wicker support. This example, while in bad condition offers an excellent look at the “inside” of the helmet

While sola pith and cork are among the most commonly used materials in the construction of sun helmets, straw weave and wicker were used at times as an ersatz material, especially in wartime. We previously noted two examples of British-made Wolseley straw helmets in the collection of Stuart Bates. While these are the only two known surviving examples of British straw helmets of this pattern, there are many surviving examples of straw helmets from other countries.

How many of these helmets were produced remains a mystery, but surviving examples given an indication that serious craftsmanship went into their construction. Continue reading →