Pith helmet

These were originally made from various lightweight materials like woven bamboo, rattan, and calabash; sometimes inlaid with precious metals, coated with water-proof resin, or covered in cloth.

European officers commanding locally recruited indigenous troops, as well as civilian officials in African and Asian colonial territories, used the pith helmet.

However, on active service, they sometimes used alternatives such as the wide-brimmed slouch hat worn by US troops in the Philippines and by British Empire forces in the later stages of the Boer War.

The definitive military version, known as the Foreign Service Helmet, was introduced in June 1877 after trials in India; it had a metal plate carrying the regimental insignia on the front and could be decorated with a brass spike or ball-shaped finial.

During the Anglo-Zulu War, British troops dyed their white pith helmets with tea, mud, or other makeshift means of camouflage.

The cloth of the helmet was generally dark blue, but a green version was worn by light infantry regiments and grey by several volunteer units.

The version worn by cavalry and mounted artillery included plumes and cords in their respective service branches' colours (yellow or red).

Pith helmets were widely worn during the First World War by British, Belgian, French, Austrian-Hungarian, and German troops fighting in the Middle East and Africa.

A white tropical helmet was issued to personnel of the French Navy serving in the Red Sea, Far Eastern waters, and the Pacific between 1922 and the 1940s.

[24] During the 1930s, the locally recruited forces maintained in the Philippines (consisting of the army and a gendarmerie) used sun helmets mostly made out of compressed coconut fiber called "Guinit".

[26] George Orwell, commenting on the unproblematical use of slouch hats by Second World War British troops rather than the "essentially superstitious" use of pith helmets, wrote, "When I was in Burma I was assured that the Indian sun, even at its coolest [even in the early morning, and the sunless rainy season], had a peculiar deadliness which could only be warded off by wearing a helmet of cork or pith.

The Ethiopian Imperial Guard retained pith helmets as a distinctive part of their uniform until the overthrow of Emperor Haile Selassie I in 1974.

Through the first half of the 20th century, the Wolseley pattern helmet was routinely worn with civil uniform by British colonial, diplomatic, and consular officials serving in 'hot climates'.

For example, they had become relatively uncommon in Francophone African colonies by 1955, despite their former conspicuous popularity among European visitors and expatriates there during the previous decade.

White or light blue helmets of plastic material but traditional design are official optional uniform items worn today by letter carriers of the U.S.

In design, the Vietnamese model was similar to the pre-Second World War civilian type but covered in jungle green cloth or other colors depending on the army's branches (for example, blue for the Air Force), usually with a metal insignia at the front.

In the following year, after President Jomo Kenyatta's election in 1964, the pith helmet became a regulated hat of the uniform for provincial administrators and commissioners, who acted as representatives of the central government overseeing local management.

Travel books and magazines advised Europeans not to engage in outdoor activities without head coverings, claiming that exposure to direct tropical sunlight could cause their brains to deteriorate.

[40] While the articles may have been somewhat exaggerated, the pith helmet indeed protected against intense direct sunlight on the savanna, and its sturdy shell and liner shielded the head from collisions with branches in the jungle rainforest.

Decoration includes a brass ball ornament at the top (a detail inherited from the Royal Marine Artillery), helmet plate, and chin chain.

The Home Service helmet is still worn by line infantry regiments in the United Kingdom today as part of full dress uniform.

Although these units' wearing of full dress uniform largely ceased after the First World War, it continues to be worn by regimental bands, Corps of Drums, and guards of honour on ceremonial occasions.

[46] A khaki or white pith helmet is part of the standard summer uniform of traffic officers in specific police departments in India.

In the Dominican Republic, pith helmets with black pugarees were the standard duty headgear used by transit officers of the national police in the 1970s until the beginning of the 21st century, when these units were replaced by the creation of the Autoridad Metropolitana de Transporte (AMET) corps, which were issued dark green stetson hats instead.

In Greece, the Hellenic Navy band uses the pith helmet during its appearances (ex., at parades, when inspected by officials outside of churches, both events held during national feasts, etc.

These are made from white plastic with cork or pith interior lining and resemble the British Custodian helmet, though taller and narrower.

White Wolseley helmets are worn by mounted Presidential Guard members in Harare, Zimbabwe, during the State Opening of the first session of Parliament each year.

[47] The pith helmet has had a limited comeback in recent years, with their now novel appearance and genuine functionality making the headdress increasingly popular for gardening, hiking, safari, and other outdoor activities.

This variation of the helmet was named after (but not designed by) Field Marshal The 1st Viscount Wolseley,[48] an Anglo-Irish military commander, and widely used by the British Army and Colonial civil service from 1900.

Over the last century and a half, the helmet has become an iconic piece of apparel identified with western explorers, big game hunters, archaeologists, paleontologists, biologists, botanists, soldiers, and colonists throughout Africa, southern Asia and South America.