Helmet worn by Sergeant Major Timothy Marks, 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards

The 'Albert' style helmet introduced for heavy cavalry in 1849 was similar to that worn by the Household Cavalry since 1842, and superseded the earlier 'Roman helmet'. The new helmet was the first of the pickelhaube style, then favoured by the Germans and Russians, and later prevalent in the British Army. The plume issuing out of the leaf-shaped socket on top of the helmet was not worn in the Crimean War (1854-1856).

Timothy Marks was born in 1831 at Roscrea, County Tipperary, enlisting in the Army in 1849. In March 1852, he transferred to the 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards, in which he remained until his discharge in October 1870. His only overseas service was the 25 months he spent in Turkey and the Crimea, during which he was promoted corporal in August 1855, and sergeant in December 1855. He achieved the rank of troop sergeant major in January 1867. At the time of his discharge he was suffering from dyspepsia, and an enlarged liver. His health had been affected by 'climatic influence and severe military duty to which he was necessarily exposed during the Crimean campaign'.