Collection of three one piece chrome plated Brunswick Star helmet plates each with a Queen's Crown and marked "Sussex Constabulary" and "EllR" in a solid centre.
Use
For use on police helmets in Sussex Constabulary
Context
When the remaining Sussex police forces were amalgamated to form Sussex Constabulary on 1st January 1968 these helmet plates and corresponding cap badges were introduced. No separate black painted helmet plates were made, as this chrome plated version was for both day and night use.
When the Force name was changed to Sussex Police in 1974, this helmet plate was replaced with a very similar one bearing the word "Police' instead of "Constabulary"(see item 279).
The "EllR" is the royal cypher for Queen Elizabeth ll and the use of the reigning monarch's cypher has been used as an alternative to a coat of arms on police badges since the first helmet plates were used during Queen Victoria's reign.
This style of badge is called a Brunswick Star and its use on police helmets goes back to the 1870's. However it only became more common after 1934, when the Home Office attempted to standardise police uniforms and insignia.
