Damaged sun helmet : Quartermaster Sergeant T H Darley, 9 Light Horse Regiment, AIF

British Army issued sun helmet with shrapnel damage caused by the fuze (nosecap) from a Turkish shell. A plume of emu feathers are inserted behind the left side of khaki coloured pugaree. A leather chin strap is attached to the hat for the wearer. On the inside of the crown has been hand written in black ink some details of the incident.

This sun helmet was worn at Gallipoli by Major Thomas Henry Darley, 9 Light Horse Regiment, AIF. It has shrapnel damage caused by the fuze from a Turkish shell (RELAWM01027), and he provided the following story about the incident in which the helmet was damaged; 'On the 12th June 1915 I had been working for a couple of hours in a certain spot at Anzac, and moved about 3 yards away to speak to Major Alfred Edward Cook (also 9 LHR). Just at that moment 'Anafarta Liz'(?) started and the first shell landed over the spot I had been working in, killing one and wounding the other of my assistants. The pellets flew round Major Cook and I, one hitting him in the left breast but I remained unhurt - although my sleeve was ripped by them. The fuze of the shrapnel shell, which burst about 10 feet overhead, behind me, went clean through my helmet, without touching my head, but the helmet flew about 30 yards. The shell killed two, 4 wounded (Major Cook died or wounds on 4 July 1915), 3 mules killed.'. A few days later Major Darley was blown about twelve feet by a shell that fell at his feet but once again he was unhurt although the rest of his party were killed.