Dragoon helmet

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Helmet used by the Swedish Life Guards, c. 1823

A dragoon helmet is an ornate style of metal combat helmet featuring a tall crest; they were initially used by dragoons, but later by other types of heavy cavalry and some other military units. Originating in France in the second half of the 18th century, it was widely imitated by other European armies and was last used in combat in 1914. Some military units continue to wear this style of helmet for parades and other ceremonial duties.

History

18th century European dragoon

Sapeurs-pompiers, who also adopted the dragoon helmet;[5] this was later copied and adapted by other European fire services, including the London Fire Brigade who introduced the crested Merryweather helmet in 1868 following a visit to Paris by Captain Sir Eyre Massey Shaw.[6]

Members of the Paris Fire Brigade in dragoon helmets, c. 1900.

In 1798, the

dragoon guards adopted a helmet of the Austrian style in 1812, but quickly replaced the woollen comb (known as a "roach" in British service) with a horsehair mane;[9] the Household Cavalry however, followed the opposite path, first adopting horsehair but rapidly replacing it with a woollen comb.[10]

In the century that followed, the dragoon helmet continued to be worn both on parade and in battle. In 1842, the

The Governor General's Horse Guards, formed in Canada in 1855.[14]

As the power and accuracy of weapons increased, so conspicuous headgear like the cavalry helmet began to be discarded in favour of more practical designs.

esprit de corps of the heavy cavalry in their role as shock troops and the French dragoons and cuirassiers rode to war in them in 1914, the only concession to modern warfare being drab-coloured helmet covers which were first issued in 1902.[15]

Current use

Presidential Life Guard Dragoons Regiment
Several countries use dragoon helmets as a part of their full dress uniforms

Variants of the dragoon helmet are still worn for ceremonial duties by a number of horsed units:

References

  1. ^ Mollo, 1972 pp. 60 and 82
  2. ^ Chartrand
  3. ^ Kannik, 1968 p. 187
  4. ^ Kannik, 1968 p. 188
  5. ^ Haythornthwaite, 1988 p. 19
  6. ^ Blackstone, 1957 p. 178
  7. ^ Kannik, 1968 pp. 185-186
  8. ^ Kannik, 1968 p. 185
  9. ^ Fosten, 1982 p. 6
  10. ^ Fosten, 1982 p. 6
  11. ^ Kannik, 1968 p. 222
  12. ^ Wood, 2015 p. 79
  13. ^ Wood, 2015 p. 82
  14. ^ Kannik, 1968 p. 227
  15. ^ Kannik, 1968 p. 235
  16. ^ a b c McNorgan, M. R. (Major) (26 April 2016). "The Albert Pattern Helmet and the 1st Hussars". milart.blog. Richard Law. Retrieved 13 July 2021.

Sources

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