Headdress

Junior Officers No.1 Cap c1950s

 

The Filed Officer's (Major and above) No.1 Cap was all scarlet with a gold wire brim. On amalgamation the Field officers brim changed to Silver wire as the Leicestershire are the senior Yeomanry.

The Torin and Folding Field Service Cap.

 

 

Both the Torin and the FFSC are seen worn in the mid 1890's. The badge seen in the illustrations above is a guess, as a close up of the badge seen on the Torin cap in the above picture is not clearly defined. It is a good assumption that the badge is a crowned Derbyshire rose in gold bullion wire on an  Army blue cloth.

 

DYC pillbox: Colour: Blue, Top Figure: Its own regimental pattern (see below), Lace: Gold oak leaf, seam: blue, Button: none.

DYC Pill box cap regimental lace top design and hat band lace.

 
DYC pillbox cap see here c1895.

 

DYC Officers Helmet 1911, with the monarch's cypher (all ranks). The horse hair plume is white  with a red brush, all the fixings on the helmet being gold gilt. The mid gilt band on the helmet does not meet in the middle as on the 1847 pattern.

 


DYC Senior NCO's helmet for the 1902 coronation (also used for the 1911 coronation), only 10 helmet badges were made. Other ranks wore the "VR" cipher.

 

(Left) can be seen a Derbyshire Yeomanry Cavalry Officer's helmet circa 1880's, the difference in this helmet compared to the mid Victorian (below) is that the gilt band below the cipher is full. The difference compared to the c1911 pattern (above) is that, again, the band is full and the plume is white over red in the traditional way as opposed to the full white plume. This helmet is possibly not an original DYC, it might be that the VR Badge and the Plume fixings were added to this helmet. You can also see that the badge, compared to the 1847 helmet, is mounted higher on the helmet.

[Auction Description] Albert pattern, with good silver-plated skull, gilt fittings and large QVC above VR cypher (the latter probably a replacement), gilt rosettes and wide chin-chain with red leather lining, white-over-red horsehair plume (helmet-lining restored and some elements replaced).

 


Auction Description: Derbyshire Yeomanry Cavalry Victorian Officers helmet. A fine and scarce example of the 1847 (Albert) pattern helmet. Silvered skull decorated with gilt metal floral leaf design. The helmet plate comprises a Crowned entwined VR Cypher. Rose head bosses support a brass chin chain with red leather backing. The plume holder of leaf design supports a white over scarlet flowing horsehair plume with a rose head boss. The interior retains quilted cotton sweatband. Minor age wear, near VGC. Contained in an associated metal storage tin with later painted name P.B. Hal Esq Derbyshire Yeo. Cav.

 

After the Crimean War a white helmet with yellow metal fixings was adopted. This had scrollwork around the peak and on the back. A short brush from which the horse hair plume fell, early pictures and an actual example show the brush white and the long plume white and red. This changed later to a red brush (see above picture)  with an all white hanging  plume. The cypher changed on King George V coronation having the new crown but on the old mounts (as seen above). The Trooper's and NCO's helmets show the normal Cavalry helmet with a white over red falling plume with no brush.

 

O/R DYC Victorian Helmet, pictured here on an LDY PAO honour guard for HRH The Duke of Edinburgh's visit to the Squadron in 1975.

 

Trooper's Helmet c1871.

(Thanks to Michael D Long Ltd, Leics, for the pictures.)

 


Auction Description: A Victorian trooper's 1874 pattern helmet of the Derbyshire Yeomanry, white metal skull with brass binding to front and back peaks, ear to ear wreath, top mount and spike, brown leather backed chin chain with ear rosettes and large crowned VR cypher badge, white over red hair plume with small rosette, leather liner with paper label of "Harry Lyons, Contractor, 12 Ritter St, Woolwich".

 

1850, information about uniform is vague although "Sleigh's List" of 1850 notes that the Derby and Chaddesdon Troop wore "Hussar" appointments and the other  2 Troops  that of Light Dragoons.

In 1817, the Light Dragoon Shako was adopted, they were quoted as having red and white horse hair plumes in imitation of the 10th Hussars.

 

In July 1794 it was suggested that the headdress should be a round cap-hat with a scarlet feather, a bearskin and a cockade. There is little  doubt that the Light Dragoon helmet was worn later but distinctions are lacking. 

 

North Derbyshire Yeomanry, Alfreton troop, 1820s

This Shako is part of the uniform of Captain John Chambers, of the Alfreton town troop of the Derbyshire Yeomanry. It is made up of a type of this hat and a light dragoon style jacket. The braiding and stitching on the uniform are of solid silver thread. The uniform also includes buckskin riding breeches, a waistcoat with silver lace and a 1796 pattern light cavalry sword still in use in the 1820s.

There was no standardisation of uniform in the 1800s and officers who could afford it could embellish their uniforms with fancy braiding or epaulettes.