Brighton Borough Police blue re-enforced helmet for lightweight motorcycle use1952-1967
Entry/Object ID
625
Description
Two panelled blue felt covered cork Brighton Borough Police helmet, fitted with chrome ball top and chrome Queen's Crown Brighton Borough Police helmet plate with separate coat of arms centre. The inside of the helmet has cork re-enforcing panels and there is a heavy duty harness style leather chinstrap.
Use
Winter daytime headdress for Brighton Borough Police constables and sergeants riding lightweight motorcycles 1952-1967.
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 or 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.
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.
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.
