Helmet

Description
A white Woolseley helmet with a gold pin on the centre front that reads: "N.Z. Staff Corps". The helmet has a stiff foundation and is covered in white cotton twill and has a pleated white cotton band around the crown. The inside is lined with green wool and the crown is covered in white twill and a band of leather. There is a metal ring at the top with a small white cover that has been screwed on to cover it. The ring is used for a decorative gold spike which also could be screwed through the ring. There is a gold-covered metal chin strap that has links mounted on cream-coloured leather. These are attached to the sides of the helmet with modern black elastics.
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Object detail

Subject person
Classification
Clothing - Headwear/Clothing/Personal Artifacts
Credit line
This helmet belonged to Major Robert Saxton Matthews, an Inglewood resident who was prominent in the military, serving in the Hawera Mounted Rifles, the South African War, the New Zealand Staff Corps and as an Assistant Quartermaster General. He retired in the 1920s and when he died in 1931 a Taranaki Herald obituary noted that "his kindly, courteous, and interesting personality will be greatly missed from this district where he has been held for many years in the very highest esteem."
Accession number
PA2004.030
Collection type
Social History
Material
Twill
Wool
Leather
Metal

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