Pith helmet
A pith helmet is a headgear that is widely used in tropical and subtropical countries to protect against solar radiation and / or rain . In addition, the pith helmet can also offer a certain mechanical protection of the head.
The helmet consists of a shaping core made from the pulp of the South Asian Shola plant (Aeschynomene aspera), cork , elderberry pulp , plastic or paper mache as well as a usually textile cover. The French shape has an approximately hemispherical shape with a surrounding, slightly downward sloping, flat umbrella attached, often with a chin strap and a small ventilation cap on the ridge. The British form ("pith helmet") is reminiscent of the helmet of an English patrolman ( Bobby ). The covers are either light-colored (to reflect sunlight) or camouflaged according to the environment intended for use (e.g. yellow, safari, khaki, various shades of green).
The piked helmet of the German diplomat Wilhelm Wassmuss , around 1910
British soldiers outside Baghdad, June 1941
The Polish explorer Ferdynand Ossendowski (center) in Guinea, 1926
Félix Éboué , Governor of French Equatorial Africa, with Charles de Gaulle in Chad, October 1940
Vietnamese People's Army soldier , 2009
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history
The predecessors of the tropical helmets can be found in the Salakot hat costume of the Philippines, which is a light hat that protects against sun and rain. It had a different shape, mostly with a wide rim and a bell shape. However, they were also available with a narrower rim and a conical shape, as they are preferred in modern day dress in the Philippines. The style is given by the attachment of the hat to a headband, which can also be lashed with a chin strap. Production from the pulp of the Shola plant was typical, but even then the hat could be made of other light materials such as bamboo or rattan.
The Spanish colonial rulers and their auxiliary troops then used the hat, which from the 18th century is covered in a fabric-covered form as a part of the uniform in the Philippines. During the expansion of the French colonies to Indochina in the middle of the 19th century, the headgear was adopted by these troops and approximated in the shape of the rifle's hood (cabasset). It visibly takes on the shape of a helmet, but remains lightweight. In the colonial days of the 19th century, the other active powers in Southeast Asia, particularly the British and Germans, adopted this form and began to use it in other regions as well.
The pith helmets thus became the stereotype of the European explorer or colonial rulers in Africa and Asia. The local population prefers other headgear (in keeping with the tradition of their people). Tropical helmets were first used in 1868 by British colonial troops on a campaign in Ethiopia and were worn by both infantry and cavalrymen . Within a few decades, most of the colonial powers followed Britain's example. Usually helmets made of cork with a textile cover in khaki were used .
The pith helmets of the German protection force were also made accordingly. These had a broad umbrella running around the entire edge, protruding far to the sides with a particularly wide rear umbrella. At the top there was a ventilation device with a screw-on button-like cap. This, as well as the peak, was covered with the same material as the rest of the helmet. The inner lining of the umbrella was usually green. A leather insert was inserted into the helmet in order to allow a constant draft of air to the inside of the helmet, which was attached to the helmet itself, for example by pieces of cork. On both sides of the screen there was a brass hook for the approximately 1 cm wide storm strap made of glossy leather or webbing in the color of the fabric cover. For general duty, the cork helmets with a khaki cover with storm straps made of khaki storm tape were mandatory. In addition there was the cord (also called Boritasch ) as a badge of rank , which was held in front by a German cockade . During parades, the pith helmet had a white cover.
Use declined after World War II and was retired from most military and police units in the 1950s. Physiologically it was recognized that any wide-brimmed, light hat is beneficial in the tropics, for example the Panama hat from the American colonies. The use has been preserved in a few areas, partly also among the local population, for example in northern Vietnam (mainly affects men, women wear rice straw hats ).
literature
- On the pith helmet of the German protection force: Keyword: pith helmet. In: Heinrich Schnee (Ed.): German Colonial Lexicon. Quelle & Meyer, Leipzig 1920, Volume III, p. 539 ( online ).
