Steve Nick
Well-known member
I purchased this helmet probably twenty years ago from a collector in North Bay, Ont. Who claimed he purchased it from a Royal Canadian Legion post that had fallen on hard times due to declining membership. How the helmet wound up in Northern Ontario is beyond me.
About six months after I acquired the helmet, I was poking around looking for any markings and discovered tucked inside the liner a telegram addressed to a Major-General Leichtenstern with his address at Nicolaiplatz 1, Munich on it as well. The message is pretty trivial which is probably why he chose to use the telegram as bumper material. It reads “I have just received the message that Carola is coming tomorrow so Annas are not needed thank you very much.” There were also fragments of a Munich newspaper dated Thursday January 4th, 1917 also used to adjust the fit of his helmet.
Major-General Karl Leichtenstern was the Officer Commanding of the 10th Royal Bavarian Infantry Brigade from 1899 to 1902. He retired from service on May 11th, 1902 and passed away in Munich on November 30th, 1924.
The parade plumes are modern replacements as for some reason when I purchased the helmet many years ago the parade plumes that came with the helmet were ones that were made for use with the Bavarian General officers Fore and Aft hat Model 1873 which if I recall correctly, were worn up until 1902. Consequently, they are too short and don’t fit on the trichter.
What I know about Major-General Leichtenstern, was provided by the now retired Curator of the Royal Bavarian Army Museum in Ingolstadt. It seems the General was not mobilized during WW1 as he had been retired for twelve years and was likely considered too out of date for active service. It seems he still participated in some elements of army life in Munich as he updated his helmet to accommodate the new pattern front-plate introduced in 1914.
This helmet is the centre piece of my Pickelhaube collection. I hope you like it.
About six months after I acquired the helmet, I was poking around looking for any markings and discovered tucked inside the liner a telegram addressed to a Major-General Leichtenstern with his address at Nicolaiplatz 1, Munich on it as well. The message is pretty trivial which is probably why he chose to use the telegram as bumper material. It reads “I have just received the message that Carola is coming tomorrow so Annas are not needed thank you very much.” There were also fragments of a Munich newspaper dated Thursday January 4th, 1917 also used to adjust the fit of his helmet.
Major-General Karl Leichtenstern was the Officer Commanding of the 10th Royal Bavarian Infantry Brigade from 1899 to 1902. He retired from service on May 11th, 1902 and passed away in Munich on November 30th, 1924.
The parade plumes are modern replacements as for some reason when I purchased the helmet many years ago the parade plumes that came with the helmet were ones that were made for use with the Bavarian General officers Fore and Aft hat Model 1873 which if I recall correctly, were worn up until 1902. Consequently, they are too short and don’t fit on the trichter.
What I know about Major-General Leichtenstern, was provided by the now retired Curator of the Royal Bavarian Army Museum in Ingolstadt. It seems the General was not mobilized during WW1 as he had been retired for twelve years and was likely considered too out of date for active service. It seems he still participated in some elements of army life in Munich as he updated his helmet to accommodate the new pattern front-plate introduced in 1914.
This helmet is the centre piece of my Pickelhaube collection. I hope you like it.
