Yeohelmetguy
Well-known member
Hello all!
This Dragoon helmet came into my collection some time ago and was a most fortuitous find as there were two made/known to exist, so it is an extremely important and is an exceedingly rare, if not the rarest of British Army dragoon helmets. The helmet is typical of 1871 pattern dragoon helmets as worn across the various Dragoon Guard, Dragoon, Household Cavalry, and any number of Yeomanry regiments. The helmet, to include the skull, front peak cruciform plume spike base and the plume spike, ear rosettes and black velvet backed chin chain are all in gilt metal. The helmet is mounted with a white horsehair plume. To the front of the helmet in silver is a large “Royal Creast” flanked by laurel wreaths left and right and sitting on a scroll inscribed "IMPERIAL YEOMANRY." The helmet is lined in cream colored silk with a fine glove leather sweat band,
This IMPERIAL YEOMANRY helmet was a proposed pattern for an officer’s dragoon helmet that was intended for wear by officer’s if an Imperial Yeomanry regiment (in name) was formed in 1902. The idea of forming a separate regiment of cavalry titled Imperial Yeomanry was one of the conclusions put forth by The Yeomanry Committee established by the War Office in 1901 which examined the roll and strength of county yeomanry regiments. Perhaps the best-known result of the Yeomanry Committee’s work was to change the name of the county Yeomanry Cavalry regiments to county Imperial Yeomanry regiments. However, no such regiment titled Imperial Yeomanry was ever formed and consequently only two known examples of this extremely rare dragoon helmet were ever produced, one of which is/was on display at the Aldershot Army Museum, Aldershot, Hampshire, England, and the other in my private collection.
It might just be easier if I quote from David J. J. Rowe’s seminal work covering British Army dragoon helmets, Headdress of the British Heavy Cavalry: Dragoon Guards, Household and Yeomanry Cavalry 1842-1934 (page 132) to summarize the historical significance of this helmet:
“Many collectors of British military headdress may not be aware that an Imperial Yeomanry helmet was even considered, let alone actually produced, and therefore on behalf of collectors of military headdress worldwide, and those having a general interest in the subject. I express my thanks to W. Y. carman for searching out and including a photograph of this most rare of helmets in his book on Yeomanry headdress. For without the inclusion of this photograph in his book, details of this helmet would, I am sure have remained unknow to most collectors. In respect of the helmet, I can do no better than to quote Bill who when referring to his illustration of this headdress said, “The helmet in plate 40 shows that a full dress headdress was considered”, and went on to say, “The conversion of old existing regiments and the creation of new ones have obviated the need for a separate Imperial Yeomanry Regiment.”
Continuing from Rowe’s book, “This trial pattern headdress is probably the most unique, and is certainly one of the rarest pattern Yeomanry officer’s helmets ever made, for to my knowledge only two examples exist, one was recently on display at the Aldershot Army Museum, Aldershot, Hampshire, the other example being in the collection of a private owner…”
I hope that all my fellow form members will enjoy reading the history of and viewing the pictures of this rare Imperial Yeomanry dragoon helmet.
Cheers to all,
David
This Dragoon helmet came into my collection some time ago and was a most fortuitous find as there were two made/known to exist, so it is an extremely important and is an exceedingly rare, if not the rarest of British Army dragoon helmets. The helmet is typical of 1871 pattern dragoon helmets as worn across the various Dragoon Guard, Dragoon, Household Cavalry, and any number of Yeomanry regiments. The helmet, to include the skull, front peak cruciform plume spike base and the plume spike, ear rosettes and black velvet backed chin chain are all in gilt metal. The helmet is mounted with a white horsehair plume. To the front of the helmet in silver is a large “Royal Creast” flanked by laurel wreaths left and right and sitting on a scroll inscribed "IMPERIAL YEOMANRY." The helmet is lined in cream colored silk with a fine glove leather sweat band,
This IMPERIAL YEOMANRY helmet was a proposed pattern for an officer’s dragoon helmet that was intended for wear by officer’s if an Imperial Yeomanry regiment (in name) was formed in 1902. The idea of forming a separate regiment of cavalry titled Imperial Yeomanry was one of the conclusions put forth by The Yeomanry Committee established by the War Office in 1901 which examined the roll and strength of county yeomanry regiments. Perhaps the best-known result of the Yeomanry Committee’s work was to change the name of the county Yeomanry Cavalry regiments to county Imperial Yeomanry regiments. However, no such regiment titled Imperial Yeomanry was ever formed and consequently only two known examples of this extremely rare dragoon helmet were ever produced, one of which is/was on display at the Aldershot Army Museum, Aldershot, Hampshire, England, and the other in my private collection.
It might just be easier if I quote from David J. J. Rowe’s seminal work covering British Army dragoon helmets, Headdress of the British Heavy Cavalry: Dragoon Guards, Household and Yeomanry Cavalry 1842-1934 (page 132) to summarize the historical significance of this helmet:
“Many collectors of British military headdress may not be aware that an Imperial Yeomanry helmet was even considered, let alone actually produced, and therefore on behalf of collectors of military headdress worldwide, and those having a general interest in the subject. I express my thanks to W. Y. carman for searching out and including a photograph of this most rare of helmets in his book on Yeomanry headdress. For without the inclusion of this photograph in his book, details of this helmet would, I am sure have remained unknow to most collectors. In respect of the helmet, I can do no better than to quote Bill who when referring to his illustration of this headdress said, “The helmet in plate 40 shows that a full dress headdress was considered”, and went on to say, “The conversion of old existing regiments and the creation of new ones have obviated the need for a separate Imperial Yeomanry Regiment.”
Continuing from Rowe’s book, “This trial pattern headdress is probably the most unique, and is certainly one of the rarest pattern Yeomanry officer’s helmets ever made, for to my knowledge only two examples exist, one was recently on display at the Aldershot Army Museum, Aldershot, Hampshire, the other example being in the collection of a private owner…”
I hope that all my fellow form members will enjoy reading the history of and viewing the pictures of this rare Imperial Yeomanry dragoon helmet.
Cheers to all,
David
