38th Rifle Volunteers' Artists Regiment

Zebedeus

Well-known member
Last year I had the fortune to meet this excellent british headgear. The Artists Volunteer Regiment was raised on 1859. This is a Victorian age example. It cames20230127_141858.jpg20191124_182613.jpg20191124_182555.jpg with the name of his ancient owner and the label of the manufacturer, in very good condition.
 
Very nice helmet. I have one as well. The Artists Rifles were made up of actors, painters, sculptors and other "artists." The unit served as an officer training regiment and later became the Special Air Service.

Your helmet and mine are actually Edwardian not Victorian. These have the King's Crown.
artist1.jpg
 
Very nice helmet. I have one as well. The Artists Rifles were made up of actors, painters, sculptors and other "artists." The unit served as an officer training regiment and later became the Special Air Service.

Your helmet and mine are actually Edwardian not Victorian. These have the King's Crown.
View attachment 29180
Thank you Peter for the precious informations about these fashinating headgears.
 
Yes even with CN regiments, they alternate king and queen crowns on their badges, depending on who is monarch. Obviously, with Elizabeth on the throne for so many years since 1952 we see Queens Crown. It will be interesting to see whether tradition will be followed with Charles now on the throne.
 
Very nice helmet. I have one as well. The Artists Rifles were made up of actors, painters, sculptors and other "artists." The unit served as an officer training regiment and later became the Special Air Service.

Your helmet and mine are actually Edwardian not Victorian. These have the King's Crown.
View attachment 29180
Dear Peter,
there is still something that doesn't quite convince me. I have to say that my main militaria's focus are not the british headgear, but reading some informations on the net I assume :
- The home service helmet was adopted by british army on 1878.
- This regiment was estabilished on 28 february 1860 as the 38th Middlesex Rifle Volunteer Corps.
- In September 1880 the Corps became the 20th Middlesex Rifle Volunteer Corps and attached to Rifle Brigade in 1881
- It became 28th County of London (Artists Rifles) in 1908
- At last it became 21 Special Air Service (Artists) in 1947.
If the dates are correct, this helmet with the 38th badge could only have been from 1878 to 1880.
Am I wrong?
 
Dear Peter,
there is still something that doesn't quite convince me. I have to say that my main militaria's focus are not the british headgear, but reading some informations on the net I assume :
- The home service helmet was adopted by british army on 1878.
- This regiment was estabilished on 28 february 1860 as the 38th Middlesex Rifle Volunteer Corps.
- In September 1880 the Corps became the 20th Middlesex Rifle Volunteer Corps and attached to Rifle Brigade in 1881
- It became 28th County of London (Artists Rifles) in 1908
- At last it became 21 Special Air Service (Artists) in 1947.
If the dates are correct, this helmet with the 38th badge could only have been from 1878 to 1880.
Am I wrong?
Zeb,

Like Peter I thought this was a King’s crown, but you are correct about the dates. A quick Google shows other 38th plates with this crown. Very odd, as I can’t think just now of any plate of that era that didn’t have the Queen’s crown. I know the plate was designed by one of the artist members so maybe it didn’t fall within the scope of formal regulations. I will research further.

Patrick
 
The monogram VR with a king's crown is odd in its own right.

I checked my books... A History of The Artists Rifles 1859-1947 by Barry Gregory said the Regimental badge was designed by Private J.W. Wyon in 1860.

I think you are correct, the helmet is Victorian. I missed this in the book, and upon a much closer inspection I don't think it is King's Crown (post 1901). It would see Wyon was ahead in his design. So Zeb's helmet is probably circa 1880, while mine could be 1880 to 1908.
 
I checked my books... A History of The Artists Rifles 1859-1947 by Barry Gregory said the Regimental badge was designed by Private J.W. Wyon in 1860.

I think you are correct, the helmet is Victorian. I missed this in the book, and upon a much closer inspection I don't think it is King's Crown (post 1901). It would see Wyon was ahead in his design. So Zeb's helmet is probably circa 1880, while mine could be 1880 to 1908.
Well Peter,
at this point everything fits perfectly.
 
The badge was designed in 1860 by J.W.Wyon who served as private in the Corps. Wyon then became chief engraver of the London mint.
A curiosity: the famous british stamp (the first in the world) so-called Penny Black was realized referring to a medallion engraved by William Wyon commemorating the Queen's visit to the London Guild.
 
Now I return to the 20th Middlesex Rifle Volunteer Corps badge (1880-1908) and show you a close photo from the net.
The magnificent badge show the heads of the roman gods Minerva (God of Arts) and Mars (God of war) in profile.
I like it very much.
20th-middlesex-artists-rifle-volunteers-post-1880.jpg
 
I dug through a number of sources, and what we call a "King's Crown" is more accurately the "Tudor Crown," something I knew but never paid attention to in this case. It is based on the actual crown worn by Henry VII and Henry VIII.

The English and later British military employed the St. Edwards Crown, which was used by Charles II after the restoration, and it is what we call the "Queen's Crown" as it was used in the Victorian Era. But in fact, it pre-dated her as it was used on shakos and other headgear of the Georgian Era.

It seems that J.W.Wyon opted to use the Tudor Crown in 1860. It isn't the only badge/helmet plate to feature the crown, but most of the era used the St. Edwards Crown.

Now I'll go back to not looking at my Artist's Rifles helmet for another decade. I don't honestly think I've paid attention to it in about that long!
 
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