Name/Title
Brighton Borough Police blue helmet 1953 - 1959Entry/Object ID
1085Description
Two panelled blue felt covered cork Brighton Borough Police helmet, with green buckram type lining and fitted with chrome plated ball top and chrome plated Queen's Crown Brighton Borough Police helmet plate with a separate coat of arms centre. It has a black metal helmet band and no chin strap, which has been cut out. There are two stamps in the leather headband marked "Christys London" and "Made expressly for G. Eade and Son, 158 North Street Brighton". There is some tearing of the rear seam and above the rim on the left side, exposing the cork below, and the ball top is loose.Use
Winter daytime headdress for Brighton Borough Police constables and sergeants.Context
Brighton Borough Police Officers wore white helmets for daytime summer use between 1933 and 1939, then again from 1952 until 1967. During daytime in the winter months they wore blue helmets with chrome badges (helmet plates) and chrome tops. During the hours of darkness they worn blue helmets with black helmet plates and tops. This was common practice in the UK, the rationale was that a black helmet plate would be harder for a criminal to see and not alert them to the presence of an officer.
The badge or helmet plate on this example, with a "Queen Elizabeth" or "St Edward's Crown", dates it from 1952-1967. This style of helmet is known as a "ball top", which was used for both summer and winter wear in Brighton from the 1890s onwards.
This particular helmet was made by the famous hat maker Christys of London and was supplied by G. Eade and Son of 158 North Street Brighton, who were at this premises between 1889 and 1958, listed as "Hatters, Outfitters and umbrella makers". It was common practice in the past for police forces to order uniform through a local third party, rather than straight from the manufacturer. This example is one of two helmets that the museum has that were used by PC Peter Stevens who served in Brighton Police from 1953 until 1959. The other is a white helmet (item 1082) and there are also two photos of him wearing both a winter and summer example which may be the same helmets donated (items 1084.2 and 1084.3).