Dave Wilkinson

The really horrible helmets that have emerged in the last few years are those with a "Columbus" trade mark. The covering is a very strange dark blue colour which seems lighter than normal. The air vents on either side are very low down and the brim seems almost too flat. I think the parent company was Hobson & Sons. A few forces used them Herts. is one. Gibraltar is another. Oh, and I think Humberside did also. That said, I think they have stopped making them. Humberside seem to have scrapped their strange "squat" looking helmet and replaced it with a more conventional "rose" top version made by C.W.Headdress. So, the scrapping of the "Columbus" make is certainly a step in the right direction. Dave.

Great minds think alike! I too favour the combed helmet. If worn properly, and it invariably is not these days, it presents an imposing image which is hard to beat. Dave.

Here is an unusual helmet from one of the former Welsh forces, the Anglesey Constabulary. Anglesey lost its independent force in 1950, when it amalgamated with the Caernarvonshire and Merionethshire Constabularies. The new combined force was named the Gwynedd Constabulary. This helmet can be seen being worn in the group photograph which was taken in 1942. Those who are wearing the standard "Home Office" helmet with the black furniture are War Reserve Constables. Interestingly the "chain", appears to have been a purely decorative and not intended for wear as a chin strap. As can be seen a normal leather chin strap is provided for that purpose. Dave.

Yet another Chief Constable's helmet. This time from Stockport Borough Police. Dave.

Towards the tail end of the 1940's and into the early 1950's bi-corn hats replaced helmets for wear by some provincial Chief Constables others adopted a peaked cap with a silver embroidered band around (similar to the Middlesbrough CC cap shown previously). The Met. senior officers below Deputy Assistant Commissioner did wear ceremonial helmets with their No:- 1 dress. The last occasion they were worn was on Remembrance Day Nov. 1971. The Met. decided to abandon the wearing and issue of No:1s at that time. That said, DAC's and above did continue to wear their ceremonial dress with bi-corn hats. I think that Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe was the last to be seen wearing such costume when mounted on his horse in The Mall during the late Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Dave.

There was a period (up to 1950's) when senior officers in some forces had a ceremonial uniform. This usually consisted of a helmet/bicorn hat and an up market braided tunic. For everyday wear their usual uniform and cap was utilised. The CC of Middlesbrough (whose cap I show) would have had an ornate helmet for wear on appropriate occasions also. Dave.

For to-days posting we pay a return visit to Merseyside, Liverpool to be specific. This one is a Superintendent's helmet from Liverpool City Police worn into the 1930's. Its unusual in that instead of having a familiar Tudor rose at each side of the helmet, Liverpool had their own custom design featuring a representation of the mythical Liver Bird on an eight pointed star. The Liver Bird appears on all Liverpool Police insignia. When worn as part of a headdress badge the bird always looks to the left. If the badge is worn as part of a pair, for example on the collar or epaulette, or as in this case part of a helmet side decoration, the bird always faces the front (neck) of the person wearing the item of clothing. So, in the case of this helmet, on the opposite side to that shown, the bird is facing in the opposite direction to the one you can see. There is a label inside showing the words "Supt........." but the surname has been unfortunately obliterated. Dave.

To-days contribution is a helmet worn into the 1930's by the Chief Constable of Grimsby. The metal fittings on the helmet, including the helmet plate are solid silver. Dave.

The Metropolitan Police have to-day confirmed that officers policing the Coronation will NOT have replacement insignia bearing the King's cipher etc. The force say they have been instructed that all stocks of uniform featuring the EIIR insignia must be used and depleted before new badges are purchased. Dave.

No, I don't use gloves. I store it in a plastic bag. I'm sure conservators would not recommend that but its been kept that way for goodness knows how many years without any apparent ill effect. Dave.

At a guess I would suggest that the epaulettes have a "Royal Gloucestershire Hussars" connection judging by the design. Dave.

The photo below shows the uniform cap worn by Henry Riches who was the Chief Constable of Middlesbrough between 1902 and 1930 and a further image of Mr. Riches wearing the cap as part of his uniform. Not surprisingly, the cap is beginning to show its age, but is all there. It was manufactured by Try & Lilly Ltd., of Liverpool. That family run company still exists in Liverpool and is still making uniform headdress for the military and police forces at home and overseas. Dave

This particular Merseyside Police ceremonial helmet replaced the "Liverpool City" version which we talked about previously. The change took place in circa.1983. Again supplied by Christy's of Stockport, the helmet shown is the version which is worn by Sergeants and Constables. There is a helmet which has chrome plated edging to the peak which is worn by the OIC of the mounted section. You will notice that the side "roses" are smaller than the previous issue, and it includes the current (ceremonial) version of the Merseyside Police helmet plate. A sign of the times is that the plumes are now made of a synthetic material whereas the old Liverpool City versions were made of real horse hair. Traditionally, the red plume is worn by mounted drummers. Dave.

Hi, The interior of the Mer.Pol. helmet is as shown in the below photo. The force used to buy the basic helmet shells (made of compressed felt) from Christy's of Stockport (long gone). They would then transfer the metalwork from the old helmet shell and then fit it to the new one. Hence the use of King's Crown helmet plates. As I said previously the helmets were worn by different men as and when required. For reasons of hygiene, paper skull caps were used on each occasion. You are right, its not too comfortable to wear and I can imagine trying to ride and control a horse while wearing one would be quite trying. With regard to Met.Pol. Inspectors helmets. I did at one time have an example but have long since parted with it. Interestingly I recall one being worn by a Chief Inspector who was standing in Westminster Hall during the Queen's lying in state. So, although I don't think they are issued any longer, they are obviously still in the possession of certain people who are still serving. It will be interesting to see if any of them get an airing during the forthcoming Coronation. Apart from the forces you mention, I think the BTP also issued them at one time. As for wear during public order situations, I don't think they were very popular. The distinctive appearance tended to mark the wearer out as a potential target, especially by stone throwers. Dave.

In an attempt to generate some discussion of this subject I'm going to post some further images from my helmet collection. First up is a Liverpool City Police Chief Inspector's helmet. The gent who wore this helmet was the officer commanding the Liverpool City Police, Liverpool & Bootle Constabulary and Merseyside Police Mounted Department (up until circa. 1984). Just to clarify, although the plate has on it the King's Crown and the Liverpool City wording, the helmets continued to be worn by the mounted men on ceremonial occasions across the time period of the three forces through to 1983. They were expensive items for the force to buy and were only worn on two or three occasions each year. There was no personal issue. They were drawn from the Mounted Dept. Stores for the event and returned immediately after. This particular helmet was a "one off". It was the only one with chrome edging to the peak, and was worn by the one and only Chief Inspector commanding the Dept. They were often seen being worn on "Grand National" day. In 1983, the whole of the "Liverpool City" stock of helmets were withdrawn and replaced by the current "Merseyside" badged version which continues in use to this day. That said, they are now seldom if ever worn. I will show the Merseyside current version in a later post. Dave.

Thought this may be of interest to members. Dave.

These are not an issue item, They are being produced by an enterprising individual for profit. Dave.

Its a long time since anyone contributed to this thread so here are a couple of items from my collection. Firstly, a cap worn by the Chief Constable of Rochdale during the early part of the 20th century and a ceremonial helmet worn by Inspectors in the City of London Police. The latter item ceased to be used during the 1960's. Dave.

There are actually a number of stated cases already on the statute book which touch upon whether a bobby is correctly dressed or not. None of those cases favoured the appellant. Most relate to the (then) newly introduced drink drive legislation whereby a constable in uniform had power to demand a breath test from a motorist. The basis for the appeal being that the officer was not wearing a helmet/cap at the time of the request. It was held that despite the absence of headgear he/she WAS in uniform. So, the fact that the wrong Sovereign's Crown/cipher was being worn will not wash with the courts. Dave.

Try the National Archives at Kew. The HM Coastguard have since its formation fallen under the control of a variety of Government Departments, so you may have to try a number of differing headings. From memory they were initially the responsibility of the Admiralty then the Board of Trade and most recently the Dept. of Transport. You say your medal is from the Victorian period so on that basis any medal role records will be at Kew. Best of luck. Dave.

There is already a thread on this under "New Title for Hampshire Constabulary". The design was first "launched" in November 2022. That said they are apparently not changing the headdress badges.

You will see that the Winnipeg Police "notice" makes clear that badges and other items will be replaced through attrition. In other words current stocks will all be used before new ones are introduced. Dave.

My pleasure. Dave.

Oldham Borough Police, without a doubt. Dave.

Possibly a state police medal of some sort. Dave.