Store > Other Periods Hats & Headwear > Early 18/1900's Hats & Helmets > Belgic 1812 Pattern Shako
Waterloo 1815 Shako Enlisted Private 1812 Pattern:
Foot Regiment 1812 pattern Shako - Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday, 18 June 1815, near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. An Imperial French army under the command of Emperor Napoleon was defeated by the armies of the Seventh Coalition, comprising an Anglo-allied army under the command of the Duke of Wellington combined with a Prussian army under the command of Gebhard von Blücher.
It was the culminating battle of the Waterloo Campaign and Napoleon's last. The defeat at Waterloo ended his rule as Emperor of the French, marking the end of his Hundred Days return from exile.
This is a reproduction shako based on a very rare Waterloo period shako for an enlisted private.
It has a black leather rosette supporting the well aged cord and a universal pattern dimpled GR (George III), helmet plate. This type was in use from 1812 to 1815.
The helmet is made from felt (very stiff felt), and this one has been 'tarred' to make it waterproof and more rigid. It has a plume holder which is ripped and a leather peak which has also been 'tarred'.
The inside is covered with a light brown paper type material and the headband leather is worn and has several holes. The cloth adjuster and string is fully intact and aged. There is herringbone ticking covering all edges, again suitably aged. It has taken 18 months to get the shako into this aged condition and tens of hours work. This is probably the most time consuming helmet we have produced alongside our British stovepipe helmet.
The 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo takes place in 2015 and this sort of item will without doubt become very collectable around that time.
We associate this shako with a foot Regiment, part of Wellington's victorious army.
Original Waterloo helmets are extremely rare and command £9000+ prices when the do come on the market, which is a once in a lifetime. Even replicas made around 1915 to commemorate the battle are going for several thousand pounds.
This is also an identical shako to the ones worn by the British Foot troops in the American War of 1815, which was regarded by the UK as a 'sideshow' compared with the War with France.
The War of 1812 (referred to as the "Second War of Independence" by some US historians) was a 32-month military conflict between the United States on one side, and Great Britain, its colonies and its Indian allies in North America. The outcome resolved many issues which remained from the American War of Independence, but involved no boundary changes.
The United States declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions brought about by Britain's continuing war with France, the impressment of American merchant sailors into the Royal Navy, British support of American Indian tribes against American expansion, outrage over insults to national honour after humiliations on the high seas, and possible American interest in annexing Canada.
This shako could easily be associated with either campaign.
Full worldwide insurance is included within the Postal charges, this protects you the buyer.
Feel free to email us if you want one made to your specification.
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