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77-631: The Northern Rhodesia Regiment ( NRR ) was a British Colonial Auxiliary Forces regiment raised from the protectorate of Northern Rhodesia . It was formed in 1933 from elements of the Northern Rhodesia Police , which had been formed during Company rule in 1912. Made up of black other ranks and white officers, its motto was "Different in Race, Equal in Fidelity". This motto may have been adopted following native African porters during

154-535: A hackle of green and red ostrich feathers in 1941 though it is not recorded how they were worn. The NRR were eventually separated into nine battalions. The 1st Battalion was raised in 1939 and were sent to guard the Northern Rhodesian border with the Belgian Congo following a false report there was an invasion force preparing to pass through Portuguese Angola . They then moved to fight against

231-581: A paper tiger . The Yeomanry was maintained as a back-up to the constabulary in maintaining law and order. In the 1850s, the Crimean War highlighted the problems of British military organisation, leading to the abolishment of the Board of Ordnance, with its military corps and various previously civilian transportation, stores, and other departments absorbed by the British Army. The Indian Mutiny led to

308-471: A foil lining in the 1930s, aimed to be used by laborers who worked in the hot sun, from farms to road construction to other manual labor. The U.S. Marine Corps pith helmet (officially "Helmet, sun, rigid, fiber") has been used as a form of identification by rifle range cadres; similarly, rifle range instructors and drill instructors wear the campaign hat . The U.S. Navy also authorized a plastic khaki sun helmet for wear by officers in tropical regions during

385-583: A lightweight hat for troops serving in tropical regions. This led to a succession of designs, ultimately resulting in the "Colonial pattern" pith helmet and later designs like the Wolseley pattern. Originally made of pith with small peaks or "bills" at the front and back, the British version of the helmet was covered by white cloth, often with a cloth band (or puggaree ) around it, and small holes for ventilation. Military versions often had metal insignia on

462-534: A more limited extent by U.S. and Japanese forces in the Pacific Theater . In the British Army , a khaki version was frequently worn, ornamented with a regimental cap badge or flash . The full-dress white helmet varied from regiment to regiment: several regiments had distinctive puggarees or hackles . On ceremonial occasions, the helmet was topped with a spike (for infantry and cavalry regiments, for

539-434: A pith helmet with the tropical khaki uniform. Most often, the pith helmet was worn by the U.S. Navy 's Civil Engineer Corps . Through the first half of the 20th century, the Wolseley pattern helmet was routinely worn with civil uniform by British colonial, diplomatic, and consular officials serving in 'hot climates'. It was worn with a gilt badge of the royal arms at the front. When worn by governors and governors-general,

616-571: A regulated hat of the uniform for provincial administrators and commissioners, who acted as representatives of the central government overseeing local management. Originally, in Kenya and other African regions, the pith helmet was perceived as a product of reporters' exaggerations and misunderstood by readers. Travel books and magazines advised Europeans not to engage in outdoor activities without head coverings, claiming that exposure to direct tropical sunlight could cause their brains to deteriorate. While

693-563: A similar shape were also part of the uniform of the Australian Victoria Police during the late 19th century. The US Army also wore blue cloth helmets of the same pattern as the British model from 1881 to 1901 as part of their full-dress uniform. The version worn by cavalry and mounted artillery included plumes and cords in their respective service branches' colours (yellow or red). Before the First World War ,

770-824: A special ceremonial unit that wears the 1885 uniform and sun helmet in support of the Governor at official state and other ceremonial functions. The Royal Guard's historical uniform and helmet are used to represent the Hawaii National Guard at the National Guard Heritage Room at Joint Base Fort Myer-Henderson Hall in Virginia. After the Second World War , the communist Viet Minh in French Indochina , and later

847-632: The Bermuda Volunteer Engineers with the Royal Engineers in the official Army Lists, which also listed the Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps and Bermuda Militia Infantry officers as part of the British Army, whereas most colonial units were listed separately or did not appear at all), whereas others that did not receive Army Funds were considered auxiliaries (British military units, but not part of

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924-686: The British Empire were militia formations in England's American colonies (specifically, in the Colony of Virginia , settled in 1607, and Bermuda, which was settled by shipwreck of the Sea Venture in 1609, becoming an extension of Virginia in 1612) a century before the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland unified to create the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707 (at which point

1001-762: The East Africa campaign , the 7th served in French Madagascar and the 8th served in Somaliland and the Ethiopian Empire . There was also an Independent Company set up to protect the headquarters of the East Africa Command . British Colonial Auxiliary Forces Whether a British ("Home" or "Colonial") military unit or corps was considered part of the British Army was ultimately decided by whether it received Army funds from

1078-809: The First and Second Anglo-Sikh wars of the 1840s. Adopted more widely during the Indian Rebellion of 1857–59, they were generally worn by British troops serving in the Anglo-Ashanti War of 1873, the Anglo-Zulu War of 1878–79, and subsequent campaigns in India, Burma, Egypt, and South Africa. This distinctively shaped early headwear became known as the Colonial pattern helmet. The British Colonial pattern pith helmet, in turn, influenced

1155-673: The First World War being recognised and compensated as couriers by the British. The NRR fought in the Second World War in Somaliland , Madagascar , the Middle East, Ceylon and Burma . The 1st Battalion fought in the Kabaw Valley offensive in 1944, as part of the 11th East African Division, in late 1944. This was their last campaign and they returned to Africa in January 1946. The 1st Battalion served with distinction in

1232-548: The Italian conquest of British Somaliland and then onto Ceylon and Burma via Aden . The 2nd Battalion was established in 1940 and shot 40 rioters during the 1940 Copperbelt strike . As a result, they were split and served out the rest of the war carrying out internal security and garrison duties. The 3rd, 4th and 5th Battalions were also raised for garrison duties. The 6th were sent to fight in Italian Somaliland in

1309-644: The Malayan Emergency from 1953 to 1955. Between 1953 and 1963, during federation with Southern Rhodesia and Nyasaland , it made up part of the Federal armed forces. On Northern Rhodesia's independence as Zambia in 1964, the NRR was renamed the Zambia Regiment and integrated into the new Zambian Defence Force . The Northern Rhodesia Regiment (NRR) was founded in 1933 when the military arm of

1386-719: The People's Army of Vietnam of the North , based their helmet design, called mũ cối , on the French pith helmet. Today it is still widely worn by civilians in Vietnam (mainly in the North, but its use declined sharply in 2007 when the motorbike helmet became mandatory for motorbike riders). In design, the Vietnamese model was similar to the pre-Second World War civilian type but covered in jungle green cloth or other colors depending on

1463-538: The Permanent Active Militia of the Province of Canada . These units consisted of professional soldiers . They supplied a reserve force either to be called up in war time to reinforce regular British Army garrisons for home defence, or in some cases were entirely responsible for home defence. Many units, however, took part in active campaigns outside of the role of home defence in various conflicts

1540-914: The Royal Bermuda Regiment ; the Royal Gibraltar Regiment ; the Falkland Islands Defence Force ; and the Royal Montserrat Defence Force . The British Government is currently (2020) working with the local governments of the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Cayman Islands to raise reserve military units in those territories, also, with recruitment for the new Cayman Islands Regiment starting in January 2020. Wolseley helmet The pith helmet , also known as

1617-615: The Royal Marines Band Service and in number 1 dress ("blues") on certain ceremonial occasions. At the same time, a similar helmet (of dark-blue cloth over the cork and incorporating a bronze spike) had been proposed for use in non-tropical areas. The British Army formally adopted this headgear, which they called the Home Service helmet , in 1878 (leading to the retirement of the shako ). Most British line infantry (except fusilier and Scottish regiments) wore

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1694-712: The Royal Navy and other navies had sometimes provided pith helmets for landing parties in tropical regions. Pith helmets were widely worn during the First World War by British, Belgian, French, Austrian-Hungarian, and German troops fighting in the Middle East and Africa. A white tropical helmet was issued to personnel of the French Navy serving in the Red Sea, Far Eastern waters, and the Pacific between 1922 and

1771-810: The Royal West African Frontier Force , were funded only by the Colonial Office or local Governments and therefore not considered part of the British Army. Additional to the Regular military forces, the British Military also included various Reserve Forces. The main ones by the time of the Napoleonic Wars included the Militia (or Constitutional Force , composed of infantry regiments), mounted Yeomanry , and

1848-710: The Second World War , the U.S. Marine Corps , U.S. Navy , and the U. S. Army developed a cheaper, similar-looking alternative to the pith helmet, called the American fiber helmet , which was made from pressed fiber. Some of the helmets were printed with a camouflage pattern. The two main producers of the US military fiber pressed pith helmet were the International Hat Company and Hawley Products Company . Both companies had originally designed and manufactured several civilian models made from pressed fiber with

1925-905: The United States Army adopted it during the 1880s for use by soldiers serving in the intensely sunny climate of the Southwestern United States . It was also worn by the North-West Mounted Police in policing North-West Canada, 1873 through 1874 to the North-West Rebellion and even before the stetson in the Yukon Gold Rush of 1898. European officers commanding locally recruited indigenous troops, as well as civilian officials in African and Asian colonial territories, used

2002-727: The Volunteer Force , although there were various others at different times and places. The Militia system was duplicated in many colonies, many of which would also raise volunteer units. These Reserve Forces were under the control of local authorities (the Lords Lieutenant of counties in the British Isles, and Governors in their separate offices of Commanders-in-Chief of colonies; Normally, neither Lords Lieutenant nor colonial Governors had any authority over regular forces in their territories), and locally funded. After

2079-586: The safari helmet , salacot , sola topee , sun helmet , topee , and topi is a lightweight cloth-covered helmet made of sholapith . The pith helmet originates from the Spanish military adaptation of the native salakot headgear of the Philippines . It was often worn by European travellers and explorers in the varying climates found in Southeast Asia , Africa , and the tropics , but it

2156-416: The salacot became a common headgear for colonial forces in the mid-19th century. While this form of headgear was particularly associated with the British Empire , all European colonial powers used versions of it during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The French tropical helmet was first authorised for colonial troops in 1878. The Dutch wore the helmet during the entire Aceh War (1873–1904), and

2233-604: The salakot (Spanish salacot, a term still also used for pith helmets). They are usually dome-shaped or cone-shaped and can range in size from having very wide brims to being almost helmet-like. The tip of the crown commonly has a spiked or knobbed finial made of metal or wood. It is held in place by an inner headband and a chin strap. These were originally made from various lightweight materials like woven bamboo , rattan , and calabash ; sometimes inlaid with precious metals, coated with water-proof resin, or covered in cloth. Salacots were used by native Filipino auxiliaries in

2310-505: The "essentially superstitious" use of pith helmets, wrote, "When I was in Burma I was assured that the Indian sun, even at its coolest [even in the early morning, and the sunless rainy season], had a peculiar deadliness which could only be warded off by wearing a helmet of cork or pith. 'Natives', their skulls being thicker, had no need of these helmets, but for a European, even a double felt hat

2387-472: The 1900 Dress Regulations as "the Wolseley pattern cork helmet". It is named after Field Marshal The 1st Viscount Wolseley . With its swept-back brim, it provided greater protection from the sun than the old Colonial pattern helmet. Its use was soon widespread among British personnel serving overseas and some Canadian units. It continues to be used by the Royal Marines , both in full dress as worn by

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2464-539: The 1940s. During the 1930s, the locally recruited forces maintained in the Philippines (consisting of the army and a gendarmerie ) used sun helmets mostly made out of compressed coconut fiber called "Guinit". The Axis Second Philippine Republic 's military, known as the Bureau of Constabulary, and guerrilla groups in the Philippines also wore this headdress. Before the Second World War , Royal Navy officers wore

2541-549: The 1970s until the beginning of the 21st century, when these units were replaced by the creation of the Autoridad Metropolitana de Transporte (AMET) corps, which were issued dark green stetson hats instead. In Greece, the Hellenic Navy band uses the pith helmet during its appearances (ex., at parades, when inspected by officials outside of churches, both events held during national feasts, etc.), with

2618-638: The 19th century (who called it the salacco or salacot, a term also later applied to the native Vietnamese cone-shaped or disk-like nón lá ) due to its effectiveness in protecting from damp and humid weather. French marines also introduced the early version of the salacot to the French West Indies , where it became the salako , a cloth-covered headgear still mostly identical to the Filipino salakot in shape. British and Dutch troops, and other colonial powers in nearby regions followed suit and

2695-405: The Army Ordnance Corps and the Royal Engineers) or a ball (for the Royal Artillery and other corps); and general officers staff officers and certain departmental officers, when in full dress, wore plumes on their helmets, similar to those worn on their full-dress cocked hats . George Orwell , commenting on the unproblematical use of slouch hats by Second World War British troops rather than

2772-409: The Band of the South Australia Police . A white Wolseley helmet forms a part of the Canadian Army 's universal full-dress uniform, although specific units wear different headgear owing to authorized regimental differences. In addition, the pith helmet is also worn by cadets at the Royal Military College of Canada for certain parades and special occasion. In the Bahamas , pith helmets are worn by

2849-449: The British Army). Many colonial units started out as auxiliaries and later became regular units and forerunners to the current militaries of those colonies which have become politically independent. While most of the units listed here were army units, colonial marines were raised at various times, as were colonial naval and air force reserve units. Today, only four British Overseas Territories regiments remain (not including cadet corps):

2926-409: The British Empire was involved in, including the two world wars. Some of the reserve colonial units, especially in the strategically important imperial fortress colonies (consisting of Halifax, Gibraltar, Bermuda and Malta), were funded by the War Department out of Army Funds and considered part of the British Army (by example, the Bermuda Militia Artillery was grouped with the Royal Artillery and

3003-443: The British Empire, the black soldiers received more technical training. In 1935, the Northern Rhodesia Regiment were called up to support the Northern Rhodesia Police during the Copperbelt strike of 1935 along with members of the British South Africa Police from Southern Rhodesia. During the strike, the Northern Rhodesia Police lost control in the face of stones being thrown by black strikers and fired at them killing six which led to

3080-418: The English Empire became the British Empire). By the Victorian era , the colonial auxiliary military forces were generally followed the pattern of the auxiliary military forces of the British Isles. There were also British military units, separate from those of the British Army (such as the West India Regiments and the Canadian Regiment of Fencible Infantry ) that were raised and recruited in colonies, such as

3157-428: The Foreign Service helmet (either colonial pattern or Wolseley pattern according to regimental specification) when full dress uniform is worn "in hot weather overseas stations such as Cyprus ". Within the British Overseas Territories , a white Wolseley helmet with red and white swan-feather plume is occasionally worn by colonial governors when in white tropical uniform. Since 2001, such dress has been provided only at

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3234-564: The Northern Rhodesia Police were split off as an independent body. Unlike most black majority regiments for an unknown reason, it was kept independent from the King's African Rifles (KAR) similar to Southern Rhodesia 's Rhodesian African Rifles . Though it was still run in a similar fashion to the King's African Rifles with officers being seconded from the British Army until 1938 when two reserve units for African and European soldiers were set up in preparation for local officers to eventually take over. Compared with many other colonial regiments in

3311-405: The Northern Rhodesian Police. The regiment retained the colours of red and white they inherited from the Northern Rhodesia Police but also added a green stripe to commemorate the predecessor North-Eastern Rhodesia Constabulary . Officers wore Wolseley helmets whilst the ranks wore field service caps , both of which had the regimental colours on as a tactical recognition flash. The regiment adopted

3388-402: The Reserve Forces were generally referred to as the Auxiliary Forces (i.e., auxiliary to, but not part of, the British Army), or as the Local Forces (as they were originally all for home defence). With the threat of invasion by France, the Reserve Forces in the British Isles were also re-organised throughout the latter half of the 19th Century, into the first decade of the 20th Century. The Militia

3465-401: The Royal Bahamas Police Force Band. A khaki or white pith helmet is part of the standard summer uniform of traffic officers in specific police departments in India. The pith helmet is also used by the Sri Lankan Police as part of their dress uniform . In the Dominican Republic, pith helmets with black pugarees were the standard duty headgear used by transit officers of the national police in

3542-418: The Spanish colonial military as protection against the sun and rain during campaigns. They were adopted fully by both native and Spanish troops in the Philippines by the early 18th century. The military versions were commonly cloth-covered and gradually took on the shape of the Spanish cabasset or morion . The salacot design was later adopted by the French colonial troops in Mainland Southeast Asia in

3619-417: The War Office. Most were Home corps and units (i.e., those depoted and recruited in the British Isles, wherever they might be deployed) though some were raised in colonies. The regular forces also included at various times, usually in particular locations, invalid , fencible , and other units, utilised primarily for garrison or defensive duties. Some regular forces raised in colonies, such as those grouped in

3696-462: The War Office. Within and without the British Isles, the British military, (referring to land, rather than naval,components of the British armed forces ) by the end of the Napoleonic Wars (by which time the Kingdom of Ireland had been absorbed into the Kingdom of Great Britain , forming the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , and the Irish military forces had been absorbed into those of Great Britain), included two regular forces (employed in

3773-515: The Wolseley helmet when in white (tropical) uniform; the helmet was plain white, with a narrow navy-blue edging to the top of the puggaree. Pith-styled helmets were used as late as the Second World War by Japanese , European and American military personnel in hot climates. Included in this category are the sun helmets worn in Ethiopia and North Africa by Italian troops, the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army , Union Defence Force , and Nazi Germany 's Afrika Korps , as well as similar helmets used to

3850-490: The Wolseley type one being used worn with full dress. It was possibly introduced at the beginning of the 20th century when the Hellenic Armed Forces were organized according to the French Army (the Hellenic Army) and the British Royal Navy (the Hellenic Navy). Modern Italian municipal police wear a helmet modeled on the Model 1928 tropical helmet of the Royal Italian Army for foot patrols in summer. These are made from white plastic with cork or pith interior lining and resemble

3927-420: The abolishment of the East India Company, with the India Office taking over administration of India. The company's military forces were split, with the white units absorbed into the British Army and the native ones composing the Indian Army . The British Army saw significant change through the latter half of the century, with the British Army Regular Reserve formed in the 1850s, following which, to avoid confusion,

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4004-413: The army's branches (for example, blue for the Air Force ), usually with a metal insignia at the front. It is considered a symbol of the Vietnamese Army. After the struggles for independence, including the Mau Mau Uprising, Kenya gained its independence from Britain in December 1963, riding the 'winds of change'. In the following year, after President Jomo Kenyatta's election in 1964, the pith helmet became

4081-466: The articles may have been somewhat exaggerated, the pith helmet indeed protected against intense direct sunlight on the savanna, and its sturdy shell and liner shielded the head from collisions with branches in the jungle rainforest. The brim, resembling an eave, also served to prevent raindrops from entering the eyes or forming on glasses. Now, in addition to that, it has been left as a symbol of authority for free Africans. Several military units still use

4158-417: The conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars and the American War of 1812 , the British Government slashed defence spending, down-sizing the regular forces, including disbanding the fencibles (most of which units had been raised in Scotland due to the lack of Militia there in the 18th Century as a result of fears of rebellion), disbanding the Volunteer Force in the British Isles, and allowing the Militia there to become

4235-407: The designs of other European pith helmets, including the Spanish and Filipino designs, by the latter half of the 19th century and the early 20th century. The Wolseley pattern helmet is a distinctive British design developed and popularised in the late 19th and early 20th century. It was the official designation for the universal sun helmet worn by the British Army from 1899 to 1948 and described in

4312-405: The end of British rule in Hong Kong in 1997 featured the Royal Hong Kong Police (RHKP) aide-de-camp to the Governor in a white Wolseley pith helmet with black and white feathers. It was the last occasion on which this style of headdress appeared as a symbol of the Empire. Due to its popularity, the pith helmet became common civilian headgear for Westerners in the tropics and sub-tropics from

4389-426: The expense of the territory concerned and is no longer paid for by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office . The Royal Gibraltar Regiment routinely wear the white pith helmet with a white tunic (in summer) and scarlet tunic (in winter). The pith helmet is used by Australian military bands, such as the Army Band and the Band of the Royal Military College, Duntroon , as well as the New South Wales Mounted Police , and

4466-577: The front and could be decorated with a brass spike or ball-shaped finial . Depending on the occasion, the chinstrap would be either leather or brass chain. The base material later became the more durable cork, although still covered with cloth and frequently referred to as a "pith" helmet. During the Anglo-Zulu War , British troops dyed their white pith helmets with tea, mud, or other makeshift means of camouflage . Subsequently, khaki-coloured pith helmets became standard issue for active tropical service. Sun helmets made of pith first appeared in India during

4543-408: The garrisoning and defence of the British Isles, other parts of the British Empire, and deploying to foreign countries as required), the Ordnance Military Corps (including the Royal Artillery , Royal Engineers , and Royal Sappers and Miners ), administered and funded under the Board of Ordnance , and the British Army (mostly composed of cavalry and infantry regiments), administered and funded under

4620-438: The helmet became purely a full dress item, being worn as such until 1914. It returned to use by regimental bands and officers attending levees in the inter-war period and is worn by regimental bands of British Army line infantry regiments to the present day. The design of the Home Service helmet closely resembles the traditional custodian helmet worn since 1869 by several police forces in England and Wales . Black helmets of

4697-440: The helmet until 1902, when the khaki Service Dress was introduced. It was also worn by engineers , artillery (with a ball rather than a spike), and various administrative and other corps (again with a ball rather than a spike). The cloth of the helmet was generally dark blue, but a green version was worn by light infantry regiments and grey by several volunteer units . With the general adoption of khaki for field dress in 1903,

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4774-409: The helmet was topped by a 10-inch red and white swan-feather plume. British diplomats in tropical postings, governors-general , governors and colonial officials continued to wear the traditional white helmets as part of their ceremonial white uniforms until Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) officials ceased to wear such dress in the late 20th century as an economy measure. The ceremonies marking

4851-430: The mid-1950s. For example, they had become relatively uncommon in Francophone African colonies by 1955, despite their former conspicuous popularity among European visitors and expatriates there during the previous decade. A dark blue pith helmet, similar to the British Home Service helmet, is worn with the ceremonial uniforms of the Garderegiment Fuseliers Prinses Irene and the Netherlands Marine Corps . Throughout

4928-407: The mid-19th century. The civilian pith helmet usually had the same dimensions and outline as its contemporary military counterpart but without decorative extras such as badges. It was worn by men and women, old and young, on formal and casual occasions, until the 1940s. Both white and khaki versions were used. It was often worn together with civilian versions of khaki drill and bush jackets . At

5005-468: The mid-20th century. It was decorated with a full-size officer's hat crest on the front. White or light blue helmets of plastic material but traditional design are official optional uniform items worn today by letter carriers of the U.S. Postal Service to protect against sun and rain. In 19th century Hawaii, King Kalākaua 's Royal Guard adopted the sun helmet as part of their uniform in 1885. The Hawaii Air National Guard honors their legacy today with

5082-424: The narrowest definition, a pith helmet is a type of sun hat made from the wood of the pith plant. However, pith helmet may more broadly refer to this style of helmet when made from any number of lightweight sun-shading materials, such as cork wood , rattan or fiber. It was designed to shade the wearer's head and face from the sun. The origin of the pith helmet is the traditional Filipino headgear known as

5159-409: The pith helmet throughout the Commonwealth . In the United Kingdom, the Royal Marines 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

5236-457: The pith helmet. Troops serving in the tropics usually wore pith helmets. However, on active service, they sometimes used alternatives such as the wide-brimmed slouch hat worn by US troops in the Philippines and by British Empire forces in the later stages of the Boer War . The salacot was most widely adopted by the British Empire in British India , who originally called them "planters' hats". They began experimenting with derivative designs for

5313-431: The same regimental name). Although the Auxiliary forces remained organised as, and nominally, separate forces (until the Territorial Army was renamed the British Army Reserve in 2014), their being funded by the War Office meant they were also considered parts of the British Army. Outside the British Isles, the funding of auxiliary forces remained largely with the local governments. The first colonial units established in

5390-435: The strikers surrendering. However a report into the incident found no wrongdoing on the part of the NRR. During the Second World War , though blacks were exempt from conscription as they were "British protected persons" in Northern Rhodesia, thousands of black Northern Rhodesians signed up as volunteers. The Regiment were then incorporated as a part of the 27th (N Rhodesia) Infantry Brigade but never fought as one unit during

5467-469: The top (a detail inherited from the Royal Marine Artillery ), helmet plate, and chin chain. The Home Service helmet is still worn by line infantry regiments in the United Kingdom today as part of full dress uniform. Although these units' wearing of full dress uniform largely ceased after the First World War, it continues to be worn by regimental bands, Corps of Drums , and guards of honour on ceremonial occasions. Such personnel are likewise directed to wear

5544-528: The turn of the 20th century, there was a widespread assumption that wearing this form of head-dress was necessary for people of European origin to avoid sunstroke in the tropics. By contrast, indigenous peoples were assumed to have acquired relative immunity. Modern medical opinion holds that some form of wide-brimmed but light headwear (such as a Panama hat , etc.) is highly advisable in strong sunlight for people of all ethnicities to avoid skin cancers and overheating. Pith helmets began to decline in popularity in

5621-730: The war due to the risk of high casualties in the small regiment. In 1953, when Northern Rhodesia joined Southern Rhodesia and Nyasaland in the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland , the Northern Rhodesia Regiment were amalgamated with the other constituent forces into the King's African Rifles . In 1963 following the breakup of the Federation, the Rhodesian Special Air Service (SAS) which

5698-410: Was also used in many other contexts. It was routinely issued to colonial military personnel serving in warmer climates from the mid-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century. The headdress remains in use in several military services in the 21st century. Typically, a pith helmet derives from either the sola or "pith" plant, Aeschynomene aspera , an Indian swamp plant, or from Aeschynomene paludosa . In

5775-537: Was based in Northern Rhodesia, split and the regiment was given over to Southern Rhodesia. The soldiers were offered the chance to take a golden handshake , move to Southern Rhodesia or remain and join the Northern Rhodesia Regiment. In 1964, Northern Rhodesia gained independence as Zambia and the regiment was renamed the Zambia Regiment as a result. The NRR's cap badge was based upon the badge of

5852-475: Was not a reliable protection." The British Army formally abolished the tropical helmet (other than for ceremonial purposes) in 1948. The Ethiopian Imperial Guard retained pith helmets as a distinctive part of their uniform until the overthrow of Emperor Haile Selassie I in 1974. Imperial Guard units serving in the Korean War often wore these helmets when not in combat. American naval officers could wear

5929-908: Was re-organised as a voluntary force from the 1850s, and the Volunteer Force restored as a permanent part of the peacetime military establishment. Both now included units other than infantry. These changes were copied to some degree in the colonial Reserve Forces. From the 1870s, administration and funding of the Auxiliary Forces in the British Isles passed from the Lords Lieutenant to the War Office and their units were increasingly integrated into British Army units (new infantry regiments, by example, being formed to include two regular battalions, with one or more Militia battalions and one or more Volunteer Force battalions, all bearing

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