By: Sophie
They would wear it with there uniform. On 10 July 1832 King William IV granted the Royal Regiment of Artillery and the Corps of the Engineers permissions to wear on their appointments the Royal Arms and Supporters together with a cannon and the mottoes Ubique above the cannon and "Quo Fas et Gloria Docunt" below it.
"The word shako originated from the Hungarian name csakos suveg ("peaked cap"), which was a part of the uniform of the Hungarian hussar of the 18th century. Other spellings include chako, czako, schako and tschako.
From 1800 on, the shako became a common military headdress of many regiments in many armies. It retained this position until the mid-19th century, when spiked helmets began to appear in the armies of various German states, and the more practical kepi replaced it for all but parade wear in the French Army. Following the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, military fashions changed and cloth or leather helmets based on the German headdress began to supersede the shako in many armies.
While impressive in appearance, adding to the height of the wearer, the shako was heavy and clumsy in the field, providing little protection against enemy action or the weather. Most models were made of cloth or felt over a leather body and peak. During the period of general peace that followed the Napoleonic Wars, the shako in European armies became a showy and impractical headdress best suited for the parade ground. As an example, the "Regency" officers' shako of the British Army of 1822 was eight and a half inches in height, eleven inches across at the crown, with ornamental gold cords and lace. The headdress was topped by a twelve-inch plume and held in place by bronze chin scales. The "Regency" shako was followed in the British Army by a succession of models "Belltopped", "Albert French" and "Quilted" until the adoption of the Home Service helmet in 1877."
