Stuart Bates

Leigh, you are correct, I do have more time to scour GMIC. I would have loved to use that caricature of the Royal Marine! Stuart

Well spotted Patrick. I forgot all about that Corrigendum. Thanks, Stuart

My advice to myself is "don't", but that is because I have two left thumbs. If you have any skill then give it a try, but you might have to source some "genuine" thread rather than using modern stuff. If there were conservators here I would consign it to one of them. I have only replaced a plume or two and put up with "at fault" chinchains. Stuart

Patrick, you have indeed struck it lucky. A collector selling off a part of his collection to finance another is something I have only encountered once. These Blue Cloths are excellent! Your successful research into Captain G.C. Wynne must have been especially pleasing. Stuart

Patrick, I doubt that the plume would have been worn with the cover. As you imply it rather defeats the purpose to some extent. A book, The Red Year by Michael Edwardes, has on the front cover a painting of the Queen's Bays charging mutineers without the plume but with a white puggaree around the helmet. However, it must still have been very warm wearing a metal helmet. The infantry wore a white Havelock cover over their forage caps so these devices must have some effect, white being such a good reflector of the sun's rays. Below is a Havelock on a sepoy's cap which belongs to a friend. Stuart

And here is the storage/transit tin complete with label Madras to Southampton. Stuart

It came with a quilted cover of whie linen with a detachable neck curtain. The 1st DGs fought in the Indian Mutiny. Stuart

Talking about Dragoons and Dragoon Guards as Mervyn is, here is my 1st King's Dragoon Guards 1847 pattern helmet I removed the plume but you will see why soon. Stuart

Patrick, according to Kipling & King the plate was of blackened white metal (KK196a). I've never heard of that one before. My FLH is also a trooper's, and, likewise, I have never seen a Lothian and Berwick helmet. I have seen a pillbox cap though and I do have a Lothian & Berwick sergeant's mess uniform with jacket, waistcoat and trousers. There was a time when I collected interesting uniforms but only have two left now. I might sell the L & B one. Stuart

So that's what No. 29 referred to. Thanks, Simon

I have various Dragoon and Dragoon Guards officers helmets of different patterns and was, much earlier on, trying to get a complete set of DGs Other Ranks helmets of the 1871 pattern. I managed to get all but the 1st and then lost interest as they did not come on the market in those earlier times. I have seen a couple lately but have moved on. Stuart

I couldn't find a photo of Lt Mitchell wearing the helmet. What page is it on? My own example has the horsehair plume extending about two inches below the rear visor. Simon, there are many photographs on this and other websites which may run foul of copyright. Why not post a scan and attribute it to the book and name the authors and offer to remove it if required? Stuart

Patrick, the furniture is probably blackened bronze. Photos can be deceptive. A classy helmet it is. Stuart

As to plumes, in the regular cavalry the mens' were normally shorter and less fullsome than the officers' or senior NCOs, but you will always find exceptions. Yeomanry were, once again, to a large extent at the whim of the C.O. Patrick, a beautiful collection so keep them coming. Stuart

Patrick, the KRRC helmet is superb. They wore it until about 1890 when it was replaced by the Rifles' Busby. Even the 1891 Dress Regulations have the Busby as the specified headdress and in black Persian lambskin (the War Office was not normally so quick to respond to reality). I note the corded chin chain which I could not find any reference to. Perhaps another CO's whim? The furniture, apart from the plate, is white metal, yes? This is one helmet I would kill for. Stuart

Clive, what are those two later style forage caps with the white band and the white piping? They look very much like the Coldstream Guards. Are they an affiliated Canadian regiment? Stuart

"Spurned on by Stuart". Why Clive I have never spurned you I love the early forage caps and please don't delay too long in posting the Colonials, Blue cloths and Wolseleys. Especially the Canadian Rifles Colonial pattern - I never tire of seeing that one! Stuart

Patrick, an alternative is to upload your photos to Photobucket.com, which is free, but I think you may have to register but not sure on that. Select My Albums and from the resultant drop down list select Albums & Upload. Then press Upload Images and select your files from the Windows File Open window. When a photo is uploaded and you place the mouse pointer over it a list of links will be displayed. Left click on the one, then right click and select Copy, which copies the link to the clipboard. Then in your gmic post paste that link. Repeat with each posting of a helmet. It's easy once you have done it once. Stuart

Patrick, I have a 1st West Yorkshire Yeomanry helmet and it has a white metal rose on a brass background. Nothing in British uniforms is impossible it seems and Colonels had a great say in what their units wore. So a gilt rose could very well be the whim of their C.O. The only other thing I would say on the topic is that since it is the "white rose of Yorkshire" I would expect a silver/white metal one. But we will never know, either way, unless another one pops up. The Hexham grey cloth is on Bosley's Buywyze site and has been sold. I can't remember what price they were asking and I don't deal with Bosleys anymore as with a postal bid one is on a hiding to nothing! I don't post much on Pickelhaube these days as I much prefer GMIC. I suppose I should check to see if my stuff was lost but I doubt that I would repost. I agree with Coldstream that you should share your collection by starting your own collection thread. Stuart

Damn! I would have used this one. BTW: I have never heard of Holland on Sea, so were there any helmet makers there. I ask because Peter is embroiled in a "discussion" about South African Polo helmets made in the Netherlands because someone has an example with an ink stamp inside of Holland! Stuart

Graham, I have placed 300 copies in the UK with a distributor who will supply them to resellers, and am trying to place another 50-100 with another. So you should not have any problems in obtaining a copy without incurring the exorbitant postal costs from outside the UK. Photographic ID was, and will always be a problem, but I have confined myself to that which, if not proven, can at least be the subject of an informed "guess". Most of the period photos have provenance. Stuart

Check out the Library forum for more details. Stuart

Well I have finally consigned my book on the Wolseley helmet to the printers. It took me 10 months when I thought I was finished at 6, but so much information came to light that it just had to be included. I expect it to be available end December or early January. Many of you will know that I turned from 19th century British headgear to sun helmets over the last couple of years (I know, Leigh) and this is the culmination of that endeavour. I hope that some of you will enjoy the book as much as I did writing it. I must say that forum members were very helpful in filling the gaps. Stuart www.militarysunhelmets.com

Mervyn, it is very difficult to say if it is pre-1938 but if forced I would say yes. Maybe a few civilians bought them after that date but period photos suggest that the Bombay Bowler and Khaki Solar Pith hat were used. They probably would have been cheaper without the quilted cover. Stuart

The 2nd Battalion of the Dorsets were deployed in India/Burma in 1942 and fought at the Battle of Kohima in 1944 as part of the 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. I couldn't find any mention of the Warwicks so I guess the number is 5725119. Stuart