A pith helmet made for an officer in the Royal Navy..., which has never seen service or even been worn
A pith helmet made for an officer in the Royal Navy in the Second World War, complete with tin carry-case, which has never seen service or even been worn.
It was designed and produced by the famous Gieves & Co. tailors, now Gieves and Hawkes.
The pith helmet was a popular design for both soldiers and civilians living and working in the tropical parts of the British Empire, and is still an iconic piece of uniform today as well as being instantly recognisable around the world.
The military division (Navy) is indicated by the black band underneath the decorative wrapping (known as the puggaree); an Army officer’s would have been red. Sadly, in this case, the officer’s name has been lost to history, although one can still see the remnants of the label on the tin case. Many cases with pith helmets have names labelled or painted on.
Gieves and Hawkes is one of the oldest, continuous, British bespoke tailors - Hawkes Ltd having been founded in 1771 - and still have their establishment at No.1 Saville Row in London.
Come to Fort Brockhurst and try on contemporary military headgear and uniform.
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