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Home » War and Rebellion » Arms and equipment » Helmets

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  • Oval helmet with narrow peak; ball on top fixed to an ornamental vent; coat of arms on front and chain hanging from a rosette on wearer's left side, across the front to the back of the fixing for the ball at the top. The Badge has the words '1st CARDIGAN R[oyal] GARR[ISON] ART[ILLERY] (VOL[UNTEER]S)'. The felt has been repaired in places. The maker's label on the inside has 'HOBSON AND SONS, (ARMY CONTRACTORS) 1, 3 and 5 Lexington Street, Golden Square, London, W.,' printed and 'Gt / G O JAMES / 7' hand written.
Helmet, Royal Cardigan Garrison Artillery Volunteers
  • Paintwork in imitation of gilding survives on the exterior of this helmet, particularly around the edges to the visor. This paintwork and the spike which carried the family crest may be later additions. Leather strapwork and scraps of textile also survive inside the helmet.
16th century iron helmet from Crickhowell, Breconshire
16th century iron helmet from Crickhowell, Breconshire
  • In 1862, the Lord Lieutenant of Monmouthshire, Lord Llanover, ordered this fine Bersagieri hat as worn by Italian 'Sharpshooters' to be issued to the Abersychan Company of Monmouthshire Rifle Volunteers. The hats proved to be so unpopular with the Welsh soldiers, many of whom were local coalminers, that they were withdrawn from use a year later. The hat has a brass shako badge with the numeral '36' the Monmouthshire Volunteers being 36th in the order of seniority of volunteer units.
Bersagieri Hat worn by the Abersychan Company of the Monmouthshire Rifle Volunteers, 1862
  • This figurine was discovered prior to 1871 within an Iron Age hillfort known as Gaer Fawr. It was once mounted as a crest upon a helmet of a warrior. Wild boars were prized forest animals and hunted at this time. They were often depicted with back bristles emphasised, symbolising aggression, especially when selected as decoration upon shields, war trumpets and helmets.
Boar helmet crest from Gaer Fawr Iron Age hillfort, near Welshpool
  • The dress of the Glamorgan Constabulary during the Second World War period. Protective helmets were issued to all police officers to protect them from shrapnel and debris. The helmets were called 'Tin' helmets although they were made of steel. At the beginning of the war they were padded, but this practice was discontinued as materials became increasingly scarce. Police officers would have worn these helmets for up to 8 hours or the duration of an air raid. Unlike civilians who carried their gas masks in a wooden box, police officers carried their gas masks in a strong canvas bag.
Glamorgan Constabulary tunic, tin helmet and gas mask, Second World War issue, 1939-45