British Foreign Service Pith Helmet Version Version 1.0

What's in the Box?

This was a fun little build made for my own use, inside the box are two 'Foreign Service' Pith Helmets, one in white and the other in Khaki. Not that you need the Khaki version as it's just a tint added to the white helmet, (tint it dark blue and add a brass spike, you'd have a Home Service Helmet from the same period).

Added to the front is the badge of the 24th Regiment of Foot (which became known as the South Wales Borderers in 1881). This Regiment became famous for it's part in the the battle of Isandlhwana and the subsequent action at Rorke's Drift. (If you don't want the badge, simply unlink and delete it, or slide it inside the helmet).

In the past I've scripted colour change and hide show, but with the current need to reduce script lag, it's time to let people use edit! :P

Other than that, it's 6 prims, sculptie build, wear, adjust size (Reasonable amount of reduction built in, loose the buckle on the chin strap and way more), position and enjoy being part of the Great British Empire.

History:

The pith helmet is a lightweight cloth-covered helmet made of cork or pith. Designed to shade the wearer's head and face from the sun, pith helmets were often worn by people of European origin in the tropics.

Pith helmets had existed 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 had popularized the German Pickelhaube, which may have influenced the distinctive design of the pith helmet.

Originally made of pith with small peaks or "bills" at the front and back, the helmet was covered by white cloth, often with a cloth band (or puggaree) around it, and small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 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 the occasion. The base material later became the more durable cork, although still covered with cloth and frequently still referred to as "pith" helmet.

Adopted widely during the Indian Mutiny of 1857–59, they were generally worn by British troops serving in the Ashanti War of 1873, the Zulu War of 1878–79 and subsequent campaigns in India, Burma, Egypt and South Africa. This distinctively shaped headwear came to be known as the Foreign Service 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.

While this form of headgear is particularly associated with both the British and the French empires, all European colonial powers used versions of it during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.