a couple of helmets
 

hi all
inspired by leigh kitchen here are a couple of my helmets.
would be interested to here any comments about them.
what is the white one and what period would it be?
cheers
bc

have you got a close up of the badge on the blue cloth helmet please? It appears to be 1900-1920's period.

the foreign service helmet is an odd one, these are well faked and often difficult to be really certain over. I have a few, one is I think a foreign country, possibly part of the commonwealth but I was never certain, with a theater prop company stamp and the other I think is possibly a 1950's movie prop, though it has a moss bros label and could be for a gentleman with old fashioned tastes.

hi jerry
thanks for the reply.
it looks like it has been worn as there is lots of sweat staining but what nationality? probably commonwealth but who?
heres the plate
bc

At first glance the FSH looks British to me but I don't know much about them.
This site may be of interest if you've not seen it:

http://www.nyc-techwriters.com/militaria/helmets.htm

I'll check through "Military Sun Helmets of The World", see if I can recognise the helmet there.

A quick look for the moment, the white helmet looks like the pattern "officially authorised for wear by all ranks throughout the Empire" as of June 1877 (the Wolsely Helmet became a sealed pattern in 1899 and was initially worn by officers before being adopted for wear by Other Ranks).

The 1877 pattern FSH -
"Made of cork covered in white cloth with six panels. Peaks and sides were bound in white cloth, with a one-inch wide piece of cloth sewn around the headband above the peaks, this being covered by a pugaree......."

There's debate concerning the wear of chin chains and spikes as opposed to leather chinstrap and white cloth covered button but its stated in the book that while the British army didn't typically wear spikes or helmet plates, more commonly wearing pugaree flashes it appears that the Royal Marine units did wear helmet plates and spike or ball.