In Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, presidential guards on horseback trot past parliament at its official opening by President Robert Mugabe.
While the legacy of Cecil Rhodes has been mostly washed away in the nation of Zimbabwe, formerly the unrecognized state of Rhodesia, one element of the colonial past remains – the use of the Wolseley helmet. This particular pattern of helmet had been used by South African and Rhodesian colonial forces during the First World War. Continue reading
While the Wolseley helmet was declared obsolete in 1951 in a List of Changes, several British and Commonwealth units continue to wear the helmet a part of the full dress uniform. This includes of course the Royal Marines, which wear the helmet as part of their number 1 or dress uniform. Additionally, Australian Army Bands, including the Royal Military College Duntroon, still wear the Wolseley helmet. Continue reading
Sir Norman George Armstrong Edgley, KC. (Author’s collection)
According to the former owner, this part of Sir Norman´s legacy – consisting of his Wolseley helmet, album of photographs, Royal Warrant, some more papers and his fly whisk – came from a private house auction and was brought there for fancy dress purposes. A nice idea – and a nice imagination as well, to go to a fancy dress party just covered with Sir Norman´s helmet and swinging his fly whisk. If one gets arrested dressed like this – there is still the Royal Warrant, signed by George VI., to have at least some kind of legitimation. But were to put it without a pocket? Maybe folded in the liner of the helmet, the same place where Lord Kitchener, according to his biographer Philip Magnus, carried dispatch leaflets with him. Continue reading
In 1919, Singapore was chosen as the most strategic location to construct a naval base to counter any move southward to India or Australia by the Empire of Japan. Throughout the 1920s and 30s, Singapore’s defenses were increased and the fortress became known as the ‘Gibraltar of the East’. By 1941 however, the Singapore garrison had been stripped bare to support the conflict raging in the West. (Singapore) Continue reading
An extremely rare, in fact possibly the only known survivor, of Thomas Townend’s double-helmet commercially named the “Rodel.” (Author’s collection)
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
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