Peter_Suciu

My good friend Gus took the time to write a very concise history on the Model 1915 CSRG Automatic Rifle, also known as the Chauchat: http://www.firearmstruth.com/2010/gun-collecting-model-1915-csrg-automatic-rifle Fascinating gun, which Gus explains isn't quite worthy of the "worst machinegun ever" award it seems.

I recently revised and updated a piece I wrote on the history of the Martini Henry rifle: http://www.firearmstruth.com/2010/gun-collecting-the-martini-henry-rifle-of-the-british-empire This is absolutely one of my favorite firearms.

I too can give Hogspear a thumbs up. When I've had problems they've worked extremely hard to make things right. As for eBay I know many people bad mouth, say it isn't like the old days. Well, there was probably a very brief window when there were bargains, but that could be said for the good old days of flea markets, garage sales, antique shows, etc. I will also add that I find eBay to be an absolute gold mine, but you need to get through a minefield to get to the good stuff. I've stopped looking on eBay in recent months as my spare cash isn't so spare.

Pity no one ever wrote a book about these helmets! :whistle:

Thanks Leigh. I know the Indian regiments can be terribly tricky to sort out.

I love the colors of the Indian Army headgear. There is the outline of a badge... but I can't place the colors to the unit. Anyone have any ideas on which unit might have worn this Kullah?

To add fuel to this one, one of the Osprey books has illustrations that show four panel helmets. Again, these are illustrations NOT photos, so it could be artistic license or a flat out mistake. My opinion on that one has long been that the illustrator based the helmet on the American four panel helmets of the era.

That is very interesting Clive. The only thing I would ask is whether these were the same ones used by the American military? The Canadian helmets don't exactly look a whole lot like the American Model 1887 or 1889 helmets to me. I imagine it would haven't been that hard however to make a slightly different "cut" so to speak to make the helmets look more "British."

I've posted this helmet previously, but for this thread I will do so again. My Blue Cloth with the back badge: As Stuart knows I did previously own a Gloucestershire helmet, which I returned because it did NOT have a back badge. It was a lovely helmet, but I have one that is now 100% unquestionable!

Dan, any police sun helmets in the mix? Peter

I think the deal here is that the Ethiopian Army had a lot of these and dozens or more sat in storage when the Monarchy fell. I don't know how much use any of these actually had gotten either. This latest helmet has an infantry/army insignia so I don't think it would be a case of certain guards wearing a cockade on the left and others wearing in the right. I think this was either a local mistake by the soldier, or probably a bunch of parts put together that were found in the depot. No way to know. The amount of information on these is scattered at best!

I saw that as well. It looks OK. Only thing... the cockade is on the LEFT side. My three have the cockade on the RIGHT side. Every photo shows them on the RIGHT side. A mistake, a seller putting parts together, a different unit? I don't know.

Interesting badge. I think this is just a case where badges were likely designed in England for these new nations. Keep in mind there were no "Iraqi" or "Trans-Jordanian" peoples before the British Mandate. Iraq was just carved up and King Faisal was given this to rule after the "Kingdom of Greater Syria" was essentially broken up with the north going to France. The crown was probably just a British version to look generic and different from England's own King's Crown of the era.

This is a recent addition. An early Post-World War II Arab Legion sun helmet. This was made by Hobson & Sons in London and was used by the Arab Legion, and was still in use in the independent Jordanian National Guard.

Many of these appeared in my book Military Sun Helmets of the World, which I wrote with the help of Stuart Bates. But a few didn't make it. Circa 1808 Argentine Military Police sun helmet: Model 1930 Argentine sun helmet, sometimes called the "casco italiano" as it was based on the Italian M1928 sun helmet. A variation of the Model 1930 sun helmet, it appears this owner wore it "backwards" with the small brim to the front. An oversized, private purchase and/or officer's pattern. This helmet is huge! An American style pressed fiber helmet from the late 1940s with the Argentine badge: A Brazilian helmet. While not really a "sun helmet" these were copies of the French "Adrian" helmet but were made of a waterproof fiber and were used as sun helmets in the late 1930s: A Gran Chaco era sun helmet from Paraguay. This was likely Argentine-made, and painted to match the brown Paraguayian uniforms and to possibly waterproof it. A Peruvian Civil Guard Cavalry helmet of the type used in the 1940 war with Ecuador. It is a French Model 1931 helmet that has been dyed greenish/blue to match the uniforms. An Uruguayan army sun helmet. It is a French Model 1931 helmet that was either imported from France, or a South American made copy.

Here is a recent pickup. Something "completely" different. This is an Arab Legion, later the Jordanian National Guard, helmet. These were issued in gray/khaki, and in black for the military police units. I'm hoping to find a gray/khaki one as well. But I was fortunate enough to find this one. This example is undated, but was made by Hobson & Sons, London, which should date it to pre-1948.

The irony in this Chris is that I missed this thread as I was actually in Africa when it was first posted. I was in Egypt and have been slowly catching up on posts that I missed. I just found a similar helmet for sale and was talking to Stuart about it, so my slow response has a reason... and you? :sleep:

The Germans actually had a khaki tropical Jäger shako too! Stuart and I included in our book, but alas neither of us own such an example. I don't know how many were made.

That is a very nice example. I now have four Ethiopian sun helmets. I think there are probably a lot more than 100 however. Back in the spring of 2007 I saw the first one for sale, at least that I noticed. The bidding went to $600 and I didn't get it. Then a couple months later I was in Paris and was outbid again, as that one went for $700. I was determined to find one and contacted every dealer of Ethiopian goods and I found a helmet... and paid far less than $600! I think I must have shaken loose a hornets nest because now I see this with a lot regularity. I was told a cache of helmets was uncovered because some Westerner kept asking about these, and when he offered "cash," every old military store room was emptied trying to find the damn things! Seriously, that's what I heard from another dealer, with the question, "you're not that guy." Here are a few of my examples: This is the most recent addition. Note that the cockade on the side has reversed colors from the later ones. This is Red/Yellow/Green. I have found a source that says that this was the original color pattern, but after Italy invaded the colors were reversed, so as not to get confused with the Italian's Red/White/Green: This is my World War II era helmet. It is a British polo helmet, and features the Ethiopian flash. A period photo showing the type of polo helmets: My early post-war helmet, circa early 1960s I believe: My final one, a later 1970s era helmet. Note this badge is of poor quality.

I haven't posted in a while, so I figured I'd post this one. My Royal Artillery helmet.

Copies of Military Sun Helmets of the World are now available. Send me a PM if you are interested in a copy.

I am hoping to have the copies of the book within the next week. As soon as the copies arrive I will let you know. This has been a lifelong drive to write this book, and I am honored to have been aided by Stuart with it. I hope everyone is pleased with the results.

Great photo Rick. That's fantastic. The sun helmets were mainly used byt he Austro-Hungarian Navy and the Foreign Service before the war. What's interesting is that the early sun helmets, like those of the Anglo-Indian makers were cork. By the time of the war heated up in the Near East in Palestine the Austrians began to use the straw helmets.

Well, considering that Austria-Hungary had no overseas colonies it would seem strange that the country would ever produce sun helmets. But in fact the Austro-Hungarian army did on two occasions. The first was when they sent troops to Crete in 1895, and then again in World War I. The Austrian Army sent men to the Palestine Front. I never expected to be able to track down such a desireable piece... but luck favored me. I was stressed out waiting for this to arrive, and probably drove my wife and friends to near insanity as I was like a five year old waiting for Christmas Day! But it was worth the wait:

The helmet was originally photographed with a bit of sun in the sky and that may have made it look shinny. Here is a better close up.