The Home Service Helmet

For nearly four decades, the home service helmet represented the military might of the British Empire. It was revered, celebrated, and honored. The helmet was worn by many of Britain's most famous leaders of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, including Winston Churchill, Mark Sykes, and Bernard Montgomery. Its elegant and noble design served as a fitting end to the era of extravagant uniforms and the age of empire and adventure.  

The home service helmet replaced the shako in 1878 and was significantly used by the British Army under the reign of three monarchs, largely falling out of use in 1914 with the end of full dress uniforms for the British Army (excluding Foot Guard regiments). The helmet (and it's accompanying uniform) however, continued to be worn by many officers as well as for large parades and events for quite some time. It continues to be worn to this day by many regimental bands in the British Army. 

The helmet was worn along with the field service tunic/frock coat for training or for other informal occasions and with the full dress tunic on formal occasions. They were not worn on deployment, as evidenced by the words "home service," but they were worn for a certain time by many local regiments around the British Empire. Notable examples include Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Foot Guard, Fusilier, and Highland regiments did not adopt the helmet, preferring to keep their more traditional headdress. 

The helmet is made of cork, covered in blue, green, or grey cloth. It has a regimental/departmental badge on the front, and a spike or ball on the top. Officers versions have a metal trim around the front peak and a metal bar from the top down to the rear peak. All examples from my collection are of the officers pattern helmet.