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    Wolseley Pattern Foreign Service Helmet


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    Here is one of my new additions. A Wolseley Pattern Foreign Service Helmet.

    These were commonly called the topi. This helmet example features the patch of the Lancashire Fusiliers, which fought at Gallipoli in 1915.

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    • 9 months later...

    Hello Chris,

    you are correct my Signal Corps does have a more rounded front. This would be due to manufacturer's variations which we see in all styles of British helmets of this type ie. cork or pith. The photo is not very good but does illustrate your point (no pun? you bet). I am just getting ready for a street party and am in a rush so hope it suffices. And yes it is a private purchase helmet.

    Stuart

    WolseleyASC.jpg

    Edited by Stuart Bates
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    Here is one of my new additions. A Wolseley Pattern Foreign Service Helmet.

    These were commonly called the topi. This helmet example features the patch of the Lancashire Fusiliers, which fought at Gallipoli in 1915.

    british_wolseley_big1.jpg

    The cloth insignia was a cut down shoulderstrap from unservicable tunics, the LF used also this insignia as a beret badge with their primrose hackle in the 1950's, tho' I don't know if the beret badge was a cut down strap or purpose made embroidered nsignia (I still need one for my collection).

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    • 1 month later...
    • 3 weeks later...

    Ok just came into possession of 4 lovely Wolseleys. The first one was described as belonging to the 14th Hussars and has a faint maker's stamp to the interior. I can't make out the name but there is a date of 1925.

    Now according to the 1934 DRs the 14th/20th Hussars had a white plume and the 8th Hussars had a white over red. These DRs specify "no badges, plumes, hackles etc" for khaki helmets with a few noted exceptions. However, I have an illustration of a trooper of the 1st KDGs with a red hackle in his helmet's puggaree. Can anybody add to this?

    Oh, a really interesting feature of this helmet is that the leather chinstrap goes over the top of the helmet and under the puggaree thence into the interior. It does have internal hooks!

    Stuart

    8thHussars.jpg

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    Ok last one of this lot to the Sherwood Foresters. It has two dates to the interior 1932 and 1939. It also has the names of presumably all of the stations where the owner served eg. Dehli, Bombay, Karachi, Berber, Khartoum, Sudan, Atbara and more.

    Stuart

    1930sSherwoodForesters.jpg

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    • 1 month later...

    This one has a topic of its own but for completeness sake I add it here. I think it may belong to the East Surrey Regiment but have yet to verify that. Anybody any ideas?

    BlueWhiteWolseley002.jpg

    The Buff's stable belt was blue with a central buff stripe, wonder if there's a connection (suddenly what I thought was white in the photo now looks buff).t.

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    Leigh,

    there is an inked name to the interior of S. Pellett. I looked up the UK Archives and found an Ernest S. Pellett of the East Surrey Regiment. I emailed the Surrey research people (with a photo and without) but both were rejected - damned if I know why.

    Stuart

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    • 3 months later...

    Although this thread started in the "Cawnpores and Bombay Bowlers" thread, as a Wolseley, it is more appropriate here.

    This Wolseley was the property of an offficer in the 2nd Battalion, Governor General's Foot Guards. It displays a red hackle - better termed a plume in keeping with Guards' terminology. The plume is worn on the left side which is consistent with GGFG practice (although allied with the Coldstream Guards there are some minor differences. In this case the GGFG is the senior Foot Guard Regiment and the plume is worn on the left even though the buttons are worn paired.) The second photo shows (left side) a GGFG Major (note paired buttons, six-pointed stars on collar and patch (unpleated) pockets.) He wears a Hawley Sun Helmet of a pattern issued to the troops but with the addition of a cloth pugarree and, just visible, the red plume on the left side.

    Clive

    ggfgpithmajforan.jpg

    ggfgmajforan.jpg

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    Here is my latest acquisition, a Wolseley to the Royal Corps of Signals but it was sourced in Canada and could be Royal Canadian Corps of Signals (thanks Clive for the confusion :unsure: ). Note that the flash has been affixed back-to-front as the light blue should be to the front.

    Clive, the Governor General's Foot Guards is a beauty but any information on the Hawley pattern as I have never heard of it before?

    Stuart

    RoyalCorpsSignalsWolseley-eBay290.jpg

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