Brighton Borough Police blue re-enforced helmet for lightweight motorcycle use c1952 - 1967

Clothing/Dress/Costume

Old Police Cells Museum Brighton

Name/Title

Brighton Borough Police blue re-enforced helmet for lightweight motorcycle use c1952 - 1967

Entry/Object ID

Description

Two panelled blue felt covered cork Brighton Borough Police helmet, with black painted metal hatband and green buckram type lining. Fitted with chrome plated ball top and chrome plated Queen's Crown Brighton Borough Police helmet plate with separate coat of arms centre. The inside of the helmet has cork and felt re-enforcing panels and there is a heavy duty harness style black leather chinstrap. There are three paper labels marked "7" and written on the leather headband in pen is "200".

Use

Winter headdress for Brighton Borough Police constables and sergeants riding lightweight motorcycles 1952-1967.

Context

Brighton Borough Police used ball top helmets for most of its history from the late 19th century until 1967. During the periods when white helmets were used during the summer (1933 - 1939 and 1952 - 1967) blue helmets were worn at night and during the winter. This particular example is unusual in that it is re-enforced and has a heavy duty strap, as it was for an officer to wear whilst riding a small motorcycle. In the 1950s and 1960s lightweight motorcycles were used throughout the UK by police in an effort to make officers more mobile and when riding these officers wore re-enforced police helmets. 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. The number "200" is probably an officer's number and the 1967 History of Brighton Police shows that this number was allocated to PC A.C. Thomas.