NEWEST ADDITION TO MY DRAGOON HELMET COLLECTION #2, 2023
 

Hello Fellow Collectors,

I have added a new dragoon helmet to my collection newly arrived from Canada. For your viewing and comment is my new helmet, an 1871 pattern other ranks helmet to Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) circa 1907 through 1912. Also, but perhaps of little interest to the non-dragoon helmet collector, I found and added to my collect an 1871 pattern white metal helmet that has never had a helmet plate fitted to it!

Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) was raised at personal expense by Donald Alexander Smith, First Baron Strathcona and Royal Mount with an establishment of 500 all ranks and taken into British service in January 1900 for the purpose of serving in the Boer War. The regiment arrived in South Africa in April 1900 returning to Canada in March 1901 and disbanded. The regiment was re-raised in 1909 and re-designated Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) in 1911. The regiment has been on continuous service ever since serving all the major conflicts Canada participated in and is currently part of the 1st Canadian Mechanized Brigade.

The regiment originally wore the 1871 pattern dragoon helmet in white/silver metal as stipulated in the 1903 Militia Orders and regulations. By 1907 the helmet had changed to a brass/gilt helmet retaining the 1903 helmet plate. It is unclear exactly, but sometime in 1907 the pattern of the white metal helmet plate star was changed from a hobnailed pattern to a rayed star with the central device remaining unchanged. A white over red horsehair plume was worn on both the white metal and brass pattern helmets.

This one's for you Colin17!!!

Regards to all,

David

They should have likes on posts.

... I agree!! Let's start a movement!! Thank you for looking, hope you liked this new helmet in my collection...

Regards,

David

We used to have a ‘like’ facility. That’s why you will occasionally see posts by those whose membership pre-dates its disappearance that say ‘like button’.

JT

removed

Awesome!
 

Very nice! Great to see a bit of Canadian militaria, it's not that common. Its a beautiful helmet. The Strats are a sister regiment to the 17th Lancers which is the main Regt I collect to. Never worked with the Strats only the RCDS and 8th Canadian Hussars now only a Reserve Regt.

I have a Dragoon helmet that has holes in not the usual place for a D or DG plate so I assume it is for a Yeomanry one, just trying to find the right badge. Nice to see yours. It would have a nice home up here if it likes the cold.....

Colin

Hi Colin,

Thank you for your note! I am really pleased with this helmet... in very nice condition. I also have a helmet in my collection to the Princess Louise's (Canadian) Dragoon Guards. I don't know I think the Strathcona helmet is pretty happy here in a warmer climate!

Is your helmet with mounting holes a white metal helmet and are there three holes in a triangular pattern with one center top and two equal distances at the bottom above the waist trim opposed to the typical four-hole arrangement? Interestingly my Strathcona helmet has three original mounting holes in the pattern described (original with no other mounting holes) that correspond to three original mounting lugs on the helmet plate. I have seen this same arrangement of three mounting holes and three lugs on a couple of white helmets and corresponding helmet plates belonging to the Governor Generals Body Guard.

I hope this helps!

Regards,

David

Hi Colin,

... reply part two... all of my British helmets, regular army or yeomanry have a typical rectangular four hole in the helmet skull and four lugs on the helmet plate arrangement so these three-hole anomalies might be Canadian only as it's only on Canadian helmets that I have seen that arrangement.

Again, regards,

David

Another gorgeous addition David.

Hello Mike,

Thank you so much! I'm pretty excited with this find. As Colin mentioned in an earlier post to this thread, Canadian helmets and especially Canadian helmets in good condition are very hard to come by, so I feel very lucky with this find. Do stay tuned, I have coming from the United Kingdom two additional helmets... one a particularly rarer acquisition that I am very fortunate to be able to add to the collection, and the other... well we'll have to wait and see... on both accounts!!!

My best regards,

David

Hi Collin,

... reply part three... was looking at a couple of other British helmets in my collection to consider the hole/lug placement... the Montgomeryshire Yeomanry and my Royal Berks Yeomanry Cavalry helmets both have a triangular three lug helmet plates due to the smaller size of the helmet plate and the need for a decorative piece of filigree to cover the vertical seam between the bottom point of the plume base cruciform and the upper point of the helmet plate under which the filigree is secured...

Regards,

David