Name/Title
Hove Borough Police straw helmet c1914-1925Entry/Object ID
2531Description
A plaited straw helmet with a dark blue cotton six panelled cover, with matching cotton hatband and cloth covered domed top. There is a black patent leather edging strip and inside a broken very narrow black patent leather chinstrap, part of this has previously been broken and is with the helmet, though not attached. Affixed to the helmet is a King's Crown black painted metal Brunswick star style helmet plate marked "Borough of Hove Police", with a white metal coat of arms centre. There are no marks inside the helmet, which is unlined.Use
For summer use by Hove Police officersContext
From the late 1870s (see notes) until the First World War Hove Borough Police officers wore white helmets from June until September (Poulsom et al 1987). At sometime after that it is believed that they adopted a straw helmet such as this one for summer use, possibly not until after the war, and it is thought that these were used until c1925 (see notes)
Prior to the Second World War a number of UK police forces had or were still using plaited straw helmets for summer use, however normally these were not covered. Hastings Borough Police used such helmets between 1918 and 1937 (op. cit), and like elsewhere these were made of uncovered natural coloured and black coloured straw, producing a herringbone type pattern. In 1904 Brighton Borough Police adopted straw helmets for summer use made of blue and white coloured straw, (Brighton Gazette 18th June 1904 page 5 and for sometime inspectors and above in the force wore straw caps. Both the Hastings and Brighton straw helmets, often appear to be white in pictures, although they were not.
This particular Hove Borough helmet, is therefore unusual in that it has a cotton cover, although it is made of natural and black coloured straw. The particularly narrow chinstrap may also have been a refinement for summer use. At this time no other examples of this helmet are known of, and after c1925 it is believed Hove Police used the same cork helmet for all year use.
The black badge, or plate, on this hemet was used in Hove for both day and night wear, from 1901 until the force disbanded in 1947. It replaced an earlier wreath style example with a different coat of arms centre. Though of a standard design these Hove Brunswick star helmet plates are slightly smaller than those used elsewhere. Hove Police did at one time use white metal helmet plates of both wreath and star designs, but these are believed to have been restricted to use on the earlier white summer helmets.