Item Description
Original Item: Only One Available. This is the "classic" pattern of British sun helmet of the latter decades of the 19th century. The sun - or "pith" - helmet originated in India around the time of the Mutiny, but was only officially adopted in 1877 for general use by the British Army for use by all ranks serving in tropical locations including India and Africa. Known as the Foreign Service Helmet the helmet was made of cork and covered in white cloth.
This style of helmet was used in notable conflicts including the Zulu War, but was also used in some earlier conflicts including the Abyssinian campaign and the Ashanti War. This example was fitted with a badge at some point, a practice more common in the 1870s and early 1880s and this suggests it could have been used by Canadian or Colonial Forces in South Africa – each of whom wore badges at various time in the field and on parade. The holes appear to have been plugged quite a while ago, a practice that was common as well.
This helmet has been whitened but shows a bit of staining, which is expected of a helmet that was used in the field. It is a fantastic and very rare totally original example of an iconic helmet as used in the Zulu Wars.
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