CAVALRY GENDARMES HELMET, model 1912, Third Republic. 29560-1R
Helmet composed of: a shell; a visor; a neck guard; a headband; two chinstraps; a crest; a mane; a plume holder; and an interior lining.
The shell, made of a single piece of brass sheet metal, shaped on a balance hammer, planed with a hammer, and polished with a brush. It is pierced at the top with three suction cup holes (diameter 15 mm). Shell stamped on the back by the manufacturer "BERNARD FRANCK & FILS - AUBERVILLIERS."
The visor, also made of brass sheet metal, is inclined at 53 degrees below a horizontal plane passing through the junction of the visor and the shell. It is bordered by an 18 mm wide nickel silver circle placed on its edges and fixed with five rivets. The underside of the visor is dark green lacquered.
The neck guard, also made of brass sheet metal, concave, forming a groove, with rounded angles and welded inwards, has two half-spherical nickel silver nails (8 mm in diameter) riveted on the inside. Like the visor, the neck guard is edged with a 18 mm wide copper trim laid on top.
The underside of the neck guard is dark green lacquered.
The headband, made of nickel silver, stamped with a flaming grenade surrounded by laurel leaves, is attached to the shell. Its base rests on the visor and its ends are riveted to the shell in the part covered by the chinstrap rosette.
Each chinstrap is composed of 15 nickel silver scales cut alternately three or two scallops, decreasing in width from the top one which is 3.4 cm, to the last one which is only 2.1 cm.
These scales are fastened with flat iron rivets onto a leather core lined with black sheepskin. The right chinstrap is adorned at its end with a small brass buckle. At the end of the left one, there is a similar D-shaped brass buckle with a black varnished calf leather strap.
The top scale of each chinstrap is stamped "A" and embossed in relief in one piece, at its end a circular rosette (diameter 4.9 cm) depicting a lion's head framed by a triple rod, with the central one being beaded.
The shell is topped with a copper crest composed of two fins and a nickel silver mask.
The fins, placed vertically at a distance of 3.2 cm in the front and 2.5 cm in the back, have a convex curvilinear triangle shape at their upper part and are connected to the shell by a concave base forming a scalloped edge.
This edge is fixed to the shell by two round-headed drop-shaped nickel silver screws, which are secured inside the helmet by square copper nuts. The fins are adorned with acanthus leaves and palmettes, and a molding representing two laurel branches with a palmette in the center; the edge is decorated with water leaves, all embossed in relief.
A tin-plated plate joins the upper edges of the fins, fixing their spacing. The mask, serving as the anterior junction of the two fins, is embossed with a relief head of Medusa.
A mane of black dyed horsehair is cut into a brush and finished with a floating tail. It is mounted on a sole made of strong nourished cowhide, in which the hair is assembled with tinned brass threads with a sheepskin glued with strong glue to the assembly. The mane is attached to the crest by two copper screws with nuts. Height about 6 cm, length about 50 cm.
A nickel silver plume holder, embossed, 3.4 cm high, forming a socket, is fixed obliquely from bottom to top on the shell, slightly in front of the left chinstrap, using two threaded rods passing through the shell.
The interior lining consists of a turban and a cap. The turban is made of felt, in one piece, fixed with two chinstrap counter-plates, one of which is unsoldered but present. The cap is made of polished brown sheepskin, cut with seven serrated teeth, each fitted with a metal eyelet.
France.
Third Republic.
Very good condition.
Reference :
29560-1R