Canadian Universal Pattern...or British Home Service

I'm new here, and am hoping to get some help with identifying a helmet that I bought a year or so ago from a collectors estate.

The helmet was sold as an "1881 British Shako Type Helmet". After taking it home and doing a little research, I could not find any positive matches online, so i put it away. Recently I have been trying again to identify the helmet, and this time, I found this site. I'm hoping someone.. or a group of someones, can help me properly identify it.

I am attaching three photos, and hope they help.

I am no expert on these British home service helmets, but the ball top and helmet plate indicate that this comes from an artillery regiment.

It is hard to tell in the pictures, does it say UBIQUE or Canada in the scroll above the gun? That will tell you if it a British or pre-1920s Canadian pith helmet.

It is definitely Royal or Royal Canadian Artillery.

Can you post some better pictures and of the front and back of the badge? In the picture the badge almost looks cast vice stamped but that could just be the pictures. All real badges are stamped. I have attached pictures of my genuine Victorian Royal Artillery Home Service Helmet and my "Mock up" using a repro Canadian Victorian badge (cast) and original Ball Topper.

Here are a couple original Canadian ones. I am not sure if the hardware on the top of one with the chain chinstrap is correct - but it is a picture from a museum (and we know they never make mistakes LOL).

One last comment, British Artillery Home Service helmets are normally blue, although they did use white ones overseas. I have only seen pictures of actual white ones from the Royal Canadian Artillery.

I have a silly question: Is it safe to take the badge off? I'm new, and just don't want to damage anything if there are special considerations.
I will do my best to get better pictures of everything you asked once I am home from work.

Thank you "Peter B"

DLHansen said:

I have a silly question: Is it safe to take the badge off? I'm new, and just don't want to damage anything if there are special considerations.
I will do my best to get better pictures of everything you asked once I am home from work.

Thank you "Peter B"

Click to expand...

On British helmets the badge would be fastened by leather or cloth wedges through the loops on the back of the plate. It should be ok to remove it, but don’t force anything in case it’s a very tight fit through the holes in the skull. It has the King’s Crown, therefore post Victorian.

The fitting on the top of Peter’s one above with the chinstrap is very strange! Your helmet has a brass chinstrap but no rosettes on the side to hook the ends on to. I doubt that your helmet is British foreign service, because of this and also its shape. All the fittings look very bright and the cloth looks spotless. Possibly a repro?

Patrick

I hope these pictures can help to clarify what this is, good, bad, or indifferent.
I appreciate everyone’s input.

The badge looks good and is very definitely Royal Artillery. From the label is does look to be an old original pith helmet of some type but I am certainly no expert. How is the chinstrap attached inside? It may be what experts here call a put-together helmet.

As I mentioned in the other thread, I believe the helmet is actually a 1970s era replica. The type of liner system isn't Edwardian, and was introduced much later.