Pith helmet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The pith helmet (also known as the sun helmet, topee, or topi) is a lightweight helmet made of cork or pith typically from the sola or a similar plant [1], with a cloth cover, designed to shade the wearer's head from the sun. It was formerly much worn by Westerners in the tropics; today it is most frequently used in Vietnam.
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[edit] Origins
Crude forms of pith helmets had existed since the mid-nineteenth century, as early as the 1840s, but it was around 1870 that the pith helmet became popular with military personnel in Europe's tropical colonies: the Franco-Prussian War popularized the German Pickelhaube, and that had much influence on the definitive design of the pith helmet. Originally made of pith with small peaks at the front and back, it was covered by white cloth, often with a cloth band (known as puggaree) around it, and had small holes for ventilation. It had a metal insignia at the front, and could be decorated with a brass spike or ball-shaped finial. The chinstrap could be in leather or brass chain, depending on occasions. The base material later became the more hardwearing cork, although still covered with cloth and frequently still referred to as "pith" helmets.
[edit] Colonial Period
This form of headdress is now associated strongly with the former British Empire. However, the pith helmet was used by all European colonial powers, and during the 1880s even by the United States Army in the south west. It was commonly worn by white officers commanding locally recruited soldiers in the colonial troops of France, Britain, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Imperial Germany and the Netherlands, as well as civilian officials in their tropical territories.
[edit] Use to World War II
During the Anglo-Zulu War, British troops dyed their white pith helmets with tea for camouflage. Soon khaki-coloured pith helmets became standard issues as well. Helmets of this style (but without true pith construction) have also been used as late as World War II by European and American military personnel. Included in this category are the sun helmets worn in North Africa by Italian troops and Germany's Afrika Korps, as well as similar helmets used by U.S. troops in the Pacific Theater.
[edit] Civilian Use
Such was the popularity of the pith helmet that it became a common civilian headgear for Westerners in the tropics from the end of the 19th Century. The civilian pith helmet was typically less decorative and more practical, not as tall as the military counterpart, and with a wide brim all round. It was worn by men and women, old and young, both in formal and casual occasions, until the Second World War. Until the 1930s there was a widespread assumption that wearing this form of headdress was necessary for people of European origin to avoid sunstroke in the tropics - indigenous peoples were assumed to have acquired some form of natural immunity over many generations. Modern medical opinion holds that some form of wide brimmed but light headdress is highly advisable in strong sunlight for people of all races to avoid skin cancers and overheating.
[edit] Modern Survivals
The Royal Marines still wear white "Wolseley pattern" helmets of the same general design as the old pith helmet as part of their number 1 or dress uniform. These date from 1912 in their present form and are made of natural cork covered in white cloth on the outside and shade green on the inside. Decoration includes a brass ball ornament at the top, helmet plate and chin chain. A similar headdress is worn by the Thai and Tongan Royal Guards as well as the Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince of Monaco.
British diplomats in tropical postings, Governor Generals and colonial officials continued to wear the traditional white helmets as part of their ceremonial white uniforms until the practice died out during the 1970s and 80s. The ceremonies marking the end of British rule in Hong Kong were probably the last occasion on which this style of headdress was seen as a symbol of Empire.
After the war, the Viet Minh of Vietnam copied the pith helmet from the former French colonizer, and adopted it as its own. Today it is still widely worn by civilians in Vietnam but no longer appears to be part of the military uniform. In design it was similar to the pre-World War II civilian type, but covered in jungle green cloth, sometimes with a metal insignia at the front or back.
Sun helmets of plastic material but traditional design are still worn today by some mail carriers of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). The pith helmet has also seen use as a form of identification by U.S. Marine Corps rifle range instructors at Parris Island and San Diego, similar to the Campaign hat worn by drill instructors.
[edit] Trivia
On television, it is worn by the character Junji Inagawa on the TV show Takeshi's Castle (known as Guy LeDouche on U.S. version, Most Extreme Elimination Challenge). The wild game hunter character Van Pelt wore one in Jumanji. One is also worn by Jack West Jr. on the cover of Matthew Reilly's book Seven Ancient Wonders.de:Tropenhelm fr:Casque colonial it:Pith helmet fi:Hellekypärä
