Northamptonshire Regiment Helmet Plate Centre (1881-1900 Pattern)

Northamptonshire Regiment Helmet Plate Centre (1881–1900 Pattern), a Victorian British Army regimental insignia designed for wear on the Home Service helmet. The Northamptonshire Regiment was formed in 1881 through the amalgamation of the 48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot and the 58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot. Its insignia incorporated heraldic references to the regiments’ earlier service and battle honours.

The brass helmet plate centre features the distinctive two-towered castle design associated with the regiment’s early pattern insignia, representing the Castle of Gibraltar and commemorating the siege of 1779–1783. The design also incorporates the regimental honours associated with Gibraltar and Talavera, reflecting the service history of the former 48th and 58th Regiments. This early pattern preceded the revised three-towered castle design introduced around 1901. The centre was intended to be mounted on the universal-pattern infantry Home Service helmet plate and is of interest to collectors of Victorian British Army badges, Northamptonshire Regiment insignia and nineteenth-century military headdress.

Dimensions

49mm in diameter

Condition

Good, with some spots of verdigris. The centre loop on the reverse is also absent. Please refer to the photographs for details of the brass surface, design and reverse attachment loops.