Cawnpores and Bombay Bowlers

stuart_bates

New member
I have strayed well passed my cutoff date of 1914 with my foray into Wolseleys and now I have a Cawnpore Tent Club helmet so thought I would start a topic on these pith helmets. This one is of the Royal Armoured Car School and is dated 1927.

RoyalArmouredCarSchool-500.jpg
 
I was queried about the red/green flash not being red/yellow which are the colours for the Royal Armoured Corps. Well the RAC was formed in 1939 from the Royal Tank Corps/Royal Tank regiment and all other mounted units. This helmet is dated 1927.

The RTC/RTR flash colours were brown/green/red and armoured units would have had numerals or letters on their flashes. My information is that Schools etc would have used red/green to distinguish them from field units.

Stuart
 
Stuart Yellow and Red seem to post war color's (1945) . The ccolor's of Red. Brown and Green are matched to it's motto " Through the Mudd and Blood to the Green fields beyond " ,. The Canadian Armoured Corps was identical .
I hope this makes help's
Mark
 
Stuart:
A pristine example for your collection and a great investment. Congratulations! Brian
 
Interesting I didn't get any email notification of the last 2 posts! Maybe they are still in the post. :)

My contact at the Royal Tank Museum told me that the colours of red/yellow were adopted by the Royal Armoured Corps on its formation in 1939. The official motto of the RAC is 'Fear Naught' but I prefer the unofficial as stated by Mark.

There is a privately published CD on all aspects of the RTR/RAC and when I have details on how much and how to get it I will post them.

Stuart
 
I should have said that Cawnpore Tent Club helmets were around in India from before 1874 as there are photos of Edward, Prince of Wales, wearing one on his visit in 1874/5. His attendants are also wearing them.

They seem to have been very popular in the late '90s and early 1900s and lasted until 1938 when they were officially replaced by the smaller Bombay Bowler.

Stuart
 
Robert,

this helmet is in the style of the Classic Colonial Pattern helmet of the Victorian era (actually officially replaced by the Wolseley Pattern in 1904). However, this one has no ventilation around the headband which is an indicator that it is most likely a theatrical prop.

Check out the Foreign Service Helmets topic to see what I mean.

Stuart
 
I am not sure about the colour's adoption , but the Canadian Armaoured corp's were Red Brown and Green . They were changed in when it became the Roal Canadian Armmoured corps in 1945.
Maybe Tony, can help being an ex Tanker.
Mark
 
Hi Mark,

my contact at the Tank Museum in Bovington, UK, told me that the colours changed from brown/red/green to red/yellow when the RAC was formed in 1939. Looks like the Canadian Corps followed post-war as you say.

Stuart
 
I just picked up this Bombay Bowler. I missed a Cawnpore by 10 seconds at the show yesterday! :x

But this is a nice helmet. Cost me $25!

british_bombay_big1.jpg

british_bombay_big2.jpg

british_bombay_big3.jpg
 
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