BRITISH PRE WWI ROYAL RESERVE REGIMENT OF LANCERS FOREIGN SERVICE HELMET.

A Foreign Service helmet to a rare regiment. Standard enlisted mans white Foreign Service helmet, the cork helmet is in excellent condition, some rubbing to the rear right hand side of the skull and some thinness to the white on the nape on the rear neck. Complete with its enlisted mans brass spike, enlisted ranks full length chin chain and its scarce Royal Regiment of Lancers helmet plate. At the left hand side of the helmet the rosette, as the helmet is viewed, is missing. To the interior the helmet has its original leather lining, it is profusely marked inside, first of all with name ‘Private D.J. McBride’, followed by the ink stamping of ‘WD’ broad arrow over ‘4’ over the date ‘1885’. On the opposite side of the inner skull is another wearer’s name ‘S. Small H Company’ to the other side of the interior skull the maker of ‘Vero & Everitt’ with a hand applied date of ‘May’ and then the date ‘1885’. The helmet was originally produced and issued in 1885, worn by a member of another regiment and then on the outbreak of the Boer War the Reserve Regiments were instituted per the Army Order 106 of May 1900 allowed for the re-enlistment of some men of the Royal Reserve Regiments for service in South Africa. Full regiments of cavalry and 18 battalions of infantry in 10 regiments were raised. Her Majesty’s Reserve Regiment of Lancers was raised in Ballincollig in County Cork, Ireland, that counts for the name McBride. Excellent reading on the raising of the reserve regiments is available on the web site of Nick Metcalfe author and researcher.

Code: 91971