Harry Lauder's tin hat

[George Armstrong Custer]

Spotted this listed by a Scottish militaria dealer:

The description runs as follows:

<b>HARRY LAUDER - WW1 RAW EDGE BRODIE HELMET

</b>

Fantastic early raw edge brodie with rare buckle chinstrap as found on the very first steel helmets produced. Prototype liner in good condition. Rubber buffers absent. Stamping to shell "TKS4". Camo paint. There is a linen label attached, "Harry Lauder Collection". "Steel helmet worn by H.L. at Arras while being bombarded. It was a narrow shave. I was nearly not writing these lines". Harry Lauder applied to join the army after his son, an Argyll and Sutherlander highlanders officer was killed in France. He was refused but eventually allowed to go to the front line to entertain the troops. This he did with a piano attached to the front of a truck. From the Lauder collection which was sold off in the 70's. A rare helmet in it's own right but attributable to Scotland's most famous music hall singer.

I'm no expert on him, but Lauder seems to have been something of a prototype for later performers like Bob Hope who undertook tours to entertain the troops in the field in time of war. As noted in the description of the helmet, Lauder's tours to entertain the troops sometimes entailed an element of personal risk, something which Haig's personal servant Thomas Secrett confirms in his memoir <u>Twenty Five Years With Earl Haig</u>. Secrett goes on to describe one of Lauder's appearances which was attended by the C-in-C himself:

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Of a different sort was Sir Harry Lauder, also an honoured visitor on Sir Douglas' train.

Sir Harry had been entertaining the troops and was received and thanked by Sir Douglas for his very great service. Out of consideration for them, Sir Douglas managed to get a Scottish Brigade moved to a place where they could hear their great countryman sing. Sir Douglas attended the concert in the huge marquee and took the chair for Sir Harry!

There was something almost of the atmosphere of a Welsh revival about that concert.

Sir Harry sang "I Love a Lassie", and, in silence profound, that great company listened breathless to the first verse and chorus; then from a thousands of throats came the chorus, led by Harry Lauder with tears in his eyes and a little catch in his voice.

Some of these lads had recently been through hell, and very soon would be back there, but to-night the moors and mists of old Scotland seemed to have broken through the space and surrounded her sons. Grand old war-songs of the Highlands followed; then, in lighter vein, "Stop your tickling Jock."

Few dry eyes were in that great concourse of Scotsmen when Sir Harry led "Auld Lang Syne"!

Sir Harry asked every man at Headquarters religiously if he was a Scotsman, and seemed just a little disappointed when he found a Southerner there.

He stayed two nights, and then went on with his good work of cheering up the Tommies. Anybody who had seen the inspiring effect of Sir Harry on the Jocks on the night of that concert I was privilegedto attend, would have agreed with me that he deserved his knighthood.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

ciao,

GAC

[trenchtrotter]

Saw this also and was filled with doubt...how has it come on the market, what is the provenance, seemed cheap given the connection.....shame that so many crooks on the market make us suspect what may be genuine items. Note I am not saying the dealer that has this item is a crook...far from it, nor that the helmet is not what it claims. What I am saying is that when such an item comes on the market how sure can one be.

Anyhow if real would be a true piece of history.

Regards

TT

[George Armstrong Custer]

I don't know what the provenance is beyond the description, TT. That says that it'd come from the Lauder Collection which was broken up in the '70's. If I was interested in buying it then I'd certainly want to see some evidence of it having come from that source. Out of interest I'll ask the dealer for details if he is in the next time I am through at Doune. In my experience, though, his stock is pretty sound - a lot of his WWII German stuff seems to have been sourced from trips to the former Soviet Union and, whilst not always in great nick, is genuine. The Lauder helmet is priced at £1,175, which I think is dear enough for an early Brodie for miltaria collectors, and probably about right for music hall memorabilia collectors for a piece from a famous music hall entertainer which, though interesting, has no direct link to what he did on stage.

ciao,

GAC

[ian turner]

Interesting as ever, thanks GAC.