Original British Victorian Era 5th Dragoon Guards Cavalry Helmet with White & Red Plume
In stock
-
Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very good original Victorian-era Pattern 1871 trooper’s helmet of the 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales’s) Dragoon Guards, complete with its distinctive white-over-red horsehair plume, original leather liner, and leather-backed chained chinscales. The brass helmet shows substantial period service wear, including denting and age to the liner and chinscale backing, while the rear trim is stamped 5DG / 3570 / 5868 / 680, directly identifying the helmet with the 5th Dragoon Guards.
This is an all brass skull helmet bearing a large helmet plate to front with a numeral 5 surrounded by a gilded belt embossed with the motto:-
HON I SOIT QUI MALY PENSE
(Evil be to him who evil thinks)
The 5th Dragoon Guards was one of the oldest cavalry regiments in the British Army. Raised in the late 17th century as Shrewsbury’s Regiment of Horse, it became the 5th Regiment of Dragoon Guards in 1788. In 1804, King George III granted the regiment the title of Princess Charlotte of Wales, after which it became known as the 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales’s) Dragoon Guards.
The helmet retains its original leather liner and chained chinscales, which retains most of its leather backing though there is some loss and wear. This helmet shows very heavy period use, exactly how you want to find them. The liner has heavy crazing but is still intact. The helmet shell itself has some denting in the front. The rear brass trim is stamped on the underside with 5DG 3570 5868 680, period markings denoting the unit. 5DG denotes 5th Dragoon Guards, while the other numbers may be soldier numbers.
The helmet comes complete with a red and white horse hair plume which does show wear but retains much of the hair.
Overall the condition is very fair, the skull of brass having suffered only a few storage dents. Dating probably from the mid 1880s and in use up until the First World War of 1914. Most impressive.
This example is particularly noteworthy for the combination of its Pattern 1871 brass construction, 5th Dragoon Guards helmet plate, original white-over-red plume, surviving leather liner and chinscales, and 5DG regimental marking. Its substantial period wear and issue markings provide a strong representation of the full-dress equipment worn by one of Britain’s historic heavy cavalry regiments during the late Victorian period.
- This product is available for international shipping.
- Eligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle
We Buy Military Antiques
Our team expert buyers travels the world to pay fair prices for entire estate collections to singular items.
START SELLING TODAY
